Silent Hill: Dark Ascension
by CowboyBeboper
Summary: (1ST DRAFT COMPLETED) Jacob Swanson lives at Hope House, an orphanage run by the religious group in Silent Hill. When he takes a class trip to the Silent Hill Historical Society, he enters a nightmarish world that reveals the religious group's true nature
1. Prologue

Silent Hill  
Dark Ascension  
  
-Prologue-  
-Nightmare-  
  
The sweat poured from Jacob's forehead as he ran down hallway after hallway. Twice he had slipped and fell from the grime that covered the floors, his clothes tattered, and his hands covered in black muck and dried blood. Jacob frantically tried to find the way out of the accursed place, only to be met with numerous dead ends. Each door he had passed was either barred with metal or wood. Leaning against the wall, Jacob tried to gain his bearings. This had been his home, no, it was his home except it was obviously different. The place he had called home did not have blood- covered walls and floors littered with rusted bed frames, bloody sheets and mattresses.  
Jacob began to wipe his sweaty and dirty forehead with his sleeve, but immediately froze when he heard the sound he had dreaded. It was a dull, sharp and slow scraping sound. As hard and fast as Jacob ran his pursuer always seem to be several feet away from him, even as he heard the slow steps of the creature behind him. The metal scarping filled his ears, sending Jacob's bones to shake and his teeth clench together.  
In a fit of panic, Jacob moved away from the wall and picked up anything he could find near him. Bloody pillows, broken bottles, a young child's whiffle ball flew from Jacob's hand towards the shadowed end of the hall. The whiffle ball Jacob threw traveled high in the air, striking one of the ceiling lamps, cause light to sway in different directions. As the light in the hallway shifted, Jacob now had gotten the chance to see his pursuer. The figure was as tall and built as a grown man, wearing a butcher's apron covered with dark, messy patches of undeterminable origin while it's face was covered by a large crimson pyramid-shaped helmet. The light in the hallway continued to sway and revealed the source of the scraping noise as the figure was dragging with it a six-foot long object resembling a rusty knife.  
As Jacob staggered backward from the sight in front of him, his foot landed on an uneven corner of bent bed frame, causing him to fall flat on his back, banging his head hard against the ground. His vision blurred as he saw Pyramid Head slowly move in front of him. Jacob struggled to get to his feet, but his ears were suddenly flooded with an excruciatingly loud wailing of sirens. He tried to cover his ears but found his body paralyzed. Screaming was all Jacob could do as Pyramid Head began to lift his great knife over Jacob's body. As the wailing sirens grew louder, rising and falling in pitch, Jacob screamed and cried as the edge of the great knife began to fall towards his head.  
  
Jacob sat up in his bed with a powerful jolt, his face covered with sweat and his shirt damp. Breathing heavily and crying softly, Jacob's eyes moved to every corner of his bedroom. Everything was in its place, the walls were pale and clean, the early morning sky visible through the window. He leaned his back to the wall next to his bed, wiping his eyes. There was a soft knocking at the door before it opened. A Sister peered her head through the opening, talking in a soft sweet voice.  
"Jacob? Are you alright?"  
Sniffling, Jacob replied softly, "I'm fine, Sister."  
Stepping into the room, the Sister continued to speak with him.  
"Was it another nightmare, Jacob?"  
"Yes," Jacob sighed. "Just another nightmare."  
The Sister tilted her head, her eyes showing signs of concern.  
"Do you need anything?" The Sister asked. "Would you like me to take you to the medical room?"  
"No, Sister. I will be fine." Jacob said. "It was just a nightmare. I will be just fine."  
The Sister stepped out of Jacob's room, shutting the door softly behind him. Jacob dropped his head onto his soft pillow, his body trembling from the dampness of his nightclothes. Covering up with his heavy blanket, Jacob stared out the window. The dark sky was slowly turning into a light purple, signaling the eventual arrival of morning.  
"They are just nightmares," Jacob said to himself as he drifted into a soft slumber. 


	2. Chapter 1

-Chapter 1-

-Hope House-

Jacob Swanson awoke several hours later to the shrilling ringing sound on his alarm clock. Rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, Jacob sat up in his bed. It was several hours ago that the nightmare jolted him awake in a pool of sweat. Glancing at the clock, he noted to himself that he had several hours before the Opening Prayer service he was required to attend. Slowly getting to his feet, Jacob slid his feet across the cold linoleum floor to his closet, grabbing his toiletries for his morning shower. Flinging a towel over his right shoulder, Jacob moved out of his room and proceeded to the bathroom.

After several minutes in the shower, Jacob slid his hand across the foggy mirror, clearing up an area for him to use. He was a mature looking individual, who looked to be in his mid twenties, when in fact he was only nineteen years old. Brushing his damp hair, Jacob found himself absentmindedly running his fingertips over a long scar near his collarbone, his blue eyes transfixed on the mark. Jacob found himself doing this more often than not these days, a reminder of what happened, Jacob always thought to himself.

When Jacob was ten years old, he was with his mother and father driving on Bachman Road during a rainstorm. They had just come from seeing a movie and where on their way home when it happened. From the back seat of the car, Jacob saw a pair of white headlights moving at a fast pace towards them and swerving from left to right. He moved to point it out to his father who immediately saw the swerving car and slammed his foot on the brake pedal, causing the car to hydroplane on the slick street. As the car spun, Jacob was thrown back and to the right of the back seat, the speed of the spinning pushing his body against the pleather seats. It was at that moment that the swerving car and slammed directly into the front part of Jacob's parent's car, causing Jacob to slam his head on the passenger side widow, knocking him out. When he finally came to, Jacob found himself in the hospital surrounded by doctors, the soft beeping of his heart rate and the murmurs of the doctors greeting him. Jacob tried to call out for his parents but was quieted by a doctor.

"Relax, son," the doctor whispered. "You've been through very much." Jacob had only realized that a nurse stood on the other side of him and was stroking his bandaged forehead.

"What happened?" Jacob asked. "What happened to my parents? I remember a crash…" Jacob's voice trailed off as he strained to remember what exactly occurred.

"Your parents were involved with a tragic accident," the doctor said sadly. "Of which you are the only survivor."

What had happened was that a drunk driver slammed into Jacob's car at a very fast speed. His parents were killed instantly since the drunk driver had slammed directly in front of the car, pushing the entire front end into their laps. The impact forced their upper bodies to thrust forward, causing the steering wheel to crush the father's ribs and his mother's skull crushed as it slammed into the dashboard. The only thing that had saved Jacob was his position in the back seat, and walked away with a concussion and a deep cut from loose shrapnel. Jacob would spend several months recovering at Alchemilla Hospital.

Before he was released, the head of the Hospital held a meeting with Jacob to discuss living arrangements. Since he had no extended family members, the doctor said his only option was to stay at Hope House, an orphanage that was ran by Silent Hill's resident religious community.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Jacob whispered, "Nine years ago, today." Sighing, Jacob threw on a white undershirt and walked to his room, passing other Hopefuls, as the orphans of Hope House were called, who were just waking up. Back into the quiet confines of his room, Jacob proceeded to put on his uniform. For boys, it consisted of an all black, long sleeve shirt with a red collar, long black slacks and dress shoes. Girls wore the same type of garments, but had skirts instead of slacks.

Hope House was an orphanage in Silent Hill maintained by the religious community. Its mission was to take in wayward souls and treat them as their own children. The orphanage also doubled as a seminary school, educating the orphans in the ways of their religion. It was here that Jacob found his home after the death of his parents.

Brushing away a hair on his shirt, Jacob grabbed his book bag and texts for his first class, as he planned to head straight there after the Opening Prayer. Most of the other orphans Jacob interacted with seemed to enjoy the learning environment and the studies given to them, but for some reason, Jacob just couldn't get it. He wasn't as enthusiastic as his classmates were and often found himself daydreaming during classes, having been caught doing so several times and forced to say why in front of the other students. Apart from incidents like these, the Sisters and Fathers did not mistreat anyone or offer any extreme punishments to those who have misbehaved.

As Jacob made his through the throng of students in the main hall, he heard his name being called out from the lull of other passing student's voices and conversations. Spinning around, he smiled softly as he saw who had yelled out his name. Running down the stairs was Jessica Watson, a girl the same age as Jacob. As she ran down the stairs, her long brown hair tied into a ponytail bounced with each step, her black skirt flowing as she made her descent. Jacob ran his right hand through his wavy black hair, making sure that it was presentable. He always felt a strange knot in his stomach every time he was in Jessica's presence; always finding himself lost in her light blue eyes. He smiled as he watcher her graceful figure glide down the stairs, masterly shifting her body around other students she passed by. As Jessica ran to him from the steps, she placed her hand on Jacob's right shoulder, keeping her steady as she panted softly.

"You had better be careful," Jacob said as he smiled at her. "We don't want you to trip and falling down those stairs."

"You worry too much, Jacob," Jessica smiled as she spoke, tilting her head to one side as she looked at him. She looked into his eyes before speaking. "You look tired, Jacob. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Jessica, really."

"You had the dream again, didn't you?"

Jacob didn't tell too many people about the nightmares he had been having for the past several months except for a small few, such as Sisters and Fathers who had found themselves in the dormitories right when Jacob had woken up from the dreams, hearing his soft cries. Jacob didn't confide in his fellow students except for Jessica, who had a certain caring air about her.

"Yeah," Jacob sighed softly. "It was the dream again."

"Why won't you ever tell me about them?" Jessica's eyes looked almost sorrowful.

"I don't think you could handle what it is I see. I barely can."

Jessica stroked his shoulder softly before speaking. "They are just dreams, Jacob. They can't do anything to you."

Jacob nodded and straightened himself. Glancing around him he noticed that they were the only ones in the hall.

"We had better hurry if we are going to be on time for the Opening Service."

Jessica smiled. "You're right, let's go!" And with that, Jessica took Jacob's right hand into her own and led him to the Assembly Hall.

The Assembly Hall was about the size of a small auditorium that took the form of a large rectangle-shaped building. On both sides of the walls there were wooden risers that would hold each individual person in Hope House. At the front of the chapel stood a small marble altar that stood in front of a row of cushioned seats. As Jacob and Jessica walked in and found their seats, Jacob gazed at the grand stained glass window that was the showcase of the Assembly Room. The window was shaped into a large circle that depicted god in the center, Her long hair flowing much like her bright red flowing gown held up by what looked like intricately designed angels. Her arms were spread out from her body and her hands holding a single object, a serpent and a reed.

Jacob found a seat next to Jessica and conversed lightly with her and the students around him. All conversations halted as soon as a bell began to ring, filling the ears of every one in the room with the long drawn tolling of the bell. This was the cue for everyone to rise to their feet as the Fathers and Sisters entered the Assembly Room, making their way to the seats behind the altar. A tall figure, wearing an all black robe that covered his entire slim figure, rose to the altar and placed his hands in the air above him. His voice rang out in the room, much like the opening bell.

"Good morning to everyone," Father Matthew spoke with a warm smile on his face.

"Good morning, Father" the crowd spoke in unison.

"I trust all of you had a pleasant and restful night. As I saw coming in, many of you look refreshed and prepared to begin your day. Let us give thanks to god for Her blessing us with such a lovely day."

The Assembly Room went quiet as everyone bowed their heads and offered a silent prayer of thanks.

"'Tis a joyful day indeed for everyone today" Father Matthew spoke several minutes after the silence. "It is my understanding that all classes today will be taking a field trip today."

There was a murmur of general excitement among the students at the mention of a field trip. Outings always proved to be enjoyable for everyone as it gave everyone practically a relaxing day off from studying and daily routines. Father Matthew picked up on the murmuring and smiled at the glowing faces.

"I trust today's outing will be as informative as entertaining. Today we will be taking everyone to the Silent Hill Historical Society, located next to Toluca Lake. After spending ample time at the Historical Society, we will all spend the rest of the day at Rosewater Park and enjoy ourselves."

There were pockets of cheering and applause from different parts of the Assembly Room at the news. Jessica smiled at Jacob. "I love Rosewater Park! I used to go there when I was younger." Jessica had told Jacob that she was placed here after her parents had gotten a divorce when she was only five years old. That was probably what had helped the two of them to find each other. Both Jacob and Jessica were at a loss when it came to familial bonds. Jacob smiled at her words and spoke of his excitement as well.

Father Matthew spoke above the chatting. "We will be leaving immediately, so I want you to get into groups based on your classrooms. We will wait outside of the House and board a bus that will take us to the Historical Society. It will be quite a drive, so I do not need to remind you to be on your best behavior."

And with that, everyone proceeded to leave their seats and find their class groups. Jacob was a little dismayed by this news because he was in a different class than Jessica and wouldn't be able to see her until they got to the park and outings such as these found the groups were separated until they got back to Hope House.

Jacob stood with the rest of his class in front of the House waiting to board the long yellow bus that rested on the street in front of him. He sighed as he took in the cool smells of spring and waited for his turn to board the bus to the Historical Society.


	3. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2-  
-The Silent Hill Historical Society-  
  
Jacob allowed himself relaxed against the seat while the bus slowly made its journey to the Historical Society. Jacob had never really been too far outside from the House but knew it would be a considerable drive, giving him the opportunity to catch up on sleep. However, the droning of the diesel engine and the loud chatting of other students prevented him from respite. Resting his elbow against the tinted glass of the bus window, Jacob rested his chin on his open palm, following the moving landscape with his eyes.  
"Are you excited, too Jacob?" said a voice from the seat in front of him. Jacob turned and found that Will Tanner had spoken to him.  
"Sure, Will," Jacob said, smiling. "Anything to get me out of those boring classes."  
Will Tanner was an acquaintance Jacob had made during his first few months at Hope House. Will was several years younger than Jacob and always managed to have a cheerful disposition. Will was not really an orphan, as his parents were important people within the religious group that ran Hope House. They saw the orphanage as a perfect opportunity to get their son into religious education and eventually become a priest like Father Alexander.  
"Aw, those classes aren't too bad, really," said Will. "Maybe if you paid attention a bit more you'd enjoy it."  
Jacob shrugged.  
"Well anyway," Will continued, "today's trip should be great fun. I have heard of the Historical Society many times but never had the opportunity to visit. Not only that, but we get to go to Rosewater! Have you been there?"  
"No, I haven't," Jacob said. "But I have heard fun things about it."  
"Look at how beautiful this day is! Perfect weather for Rosewater! We should really be thankful to Her for blessing us with this day." At that point, Will bowed his head and closed his eyes while his lips moved silently in prayer. Jacob watched the younger child pray; his hands folded neatly against each other, his brow furrowed in concentration.  
"Amen," Will spoke and smiled at Jacob, who responded with an "Amen" of his own. Will glanced out the window and looked at a passing street sign. Will's blue eyes beamed.  
"Nathan Avenue!" Will exclaimed. "We are almost there!" Will quickly spun around and sat back down in his seat. Although Jacob couldn't see him, he would bet that Will was bouncing up and down in his seat from excitement.  
Several minutes later, the bus slowly made its way into South Vale, an area of Silent Hill that was home to several apartments, the Brookhaven Hospital, a bowling alley and other small businesses. Of particular interest are Rosewater Park, the Silent Hill Historical Society and Toluca Lake. Glancing out the window, Jacob could clearly see the lake populated with a generous amount of people. Being the springtime, families and tourists would flock to the lake for water sports or picnics. The boat launch bustled with people lowering their speedboats, kayaks and rowboats into the clear water. Jacob couldn't help but smirk as he saw someone tip over in their kayak. As the bus passed by Rosewater Park, Jacob noticed a billboard advertising the Historical Society. Sitting himself upright, he felt the speed of the bus lessen as the building quickly came into view.  
Jacob had been one of the last group of students off the bus. Placing his hands in his pockets, he waited to be escorted with his class into the Historical Society. Taking in his surroundings, Jacob watched as mothers and fathers were playing with their children in the area near another boat launch. Looking at the entrance of the Historical Society, he watched as another class exited the building from their tour session. Jacob waved at a smiling Jessica. In all honestly, he couldn't care less about the town's history. He couldn't wait to meet up with Jessica at the park. A loud clapping sound brought Jacob to attention as Father Alexander began to speak.  
"Again, I hope I don't have to remind you all to be on your best behavior," the priest spoke. "Please keep your hands to yourself and listen to what you guide has to say. Enjoy yourselves and please feel free to ask any questions you may have."  
With that, an older man with a heavyset figure walked out of the Historical Society, a thick beard covering his smiling face.  
"Welcome," said the man, his face beaming. "Welcome to the Silent Hill Historical Society! Inside this quaint building you will discover the history of our glorious and beautiful town. Follow close and, by all means, shout out if you have any questions!"  
Holding the entrance door open, the students filed inside the building with Jacob being the last one inside. He glanced to his left and met the eyes of an older woman who was sitting behind a glass counter filled with Historical Society-related gifts and souvenirs. Jacob looked to his right and saw Will staring intently at the heavyset tour guide, intent on capturing his every word. Jacob let himself laugh at the sight as he waited for the tour to begin.  
"Now as you may or may not know, Silent Hill was once home to Native Americans many years ago. To them, the area was called the 'Land of Silent Spirits' and was said to carry a sort of mysticism..."  
Jacob stopped listening to the guide and decided to look at the museum at his own pace. The Historical Society wasn't a big building, more like the size of a two-room condominium. Each wall had a specific theme. The wall adjacent to the entrance featured a native American design, with artifacts safely protected behind glass cases and wall mounted cabinets. The wall next to the Native American display was held Union and Confederate uniforms, weaponry and other Civil War related objects. Paintings also scattered the wall, depicting particular battles that were fought in Silent Hill. From the history lessons at Hope House, Jacob remembered that no real important battles were ever fought in this area. Jacob glanced at several more wall designs, taking an extra long glance at the World War II theme, examining several letters written by soldiers who fought in Europe and the Pacific.  
Stepping into the next room, he heard the guide talking about the room housing collections from Silent Hill's more modern history, from the Civil Rights Movement to present day. Starting to feel bored with himself, wishing the tour would be over so that he could spend the rest of the afternoon with Jessica, Jacob absentmindedly glanced at the paintings and photographs adorning the walls. Jacob studied various photographs of public figures and particular buildings. Just about ready to head towards the main room, a painting had caught his eye. The title of the painting, as written on a small metal plate, was "Misty Day, Remains of the Judgement." At first glance, it was a rather ghastly painting depicting several rectangle shaped cages that held lifeless bodies. What caused Jacob's eyes to widen was the figure on the right side of the painting. Standing in an almost proud fashion, was a tall figure wearing a bloody butcher's apron and holding a large pike in its gloved left hand. What caused Jacob to tremble was the large, red pyramid shaped helmet that covered the figure's head. The tour guide walked up beside Jacob and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"Well, my boy, looks like you found this little gem," the man said as he admired the painting. "We are not entirely sure how this painting came to be exactly. Some speculate that it ties into the story of an old prison around here used during the Civil War. The looming figure there is said to be some sort of executioner and—are you okay, lad?"  
Jacob could only stare at the figure. It was the same figure that had chased him in his nightmares. His hair began to grow damp from sweat, his breathing deep and quick. Suddenly, a familiar sound began to fill Jacob's ear, a soft wailing sound rising and falling in pitch. The siren grew louder and louder, causing Jacob's skull to vibrate. Jacob fell backwards, smashing a glass table behind him with his elbow, sending glass shards everywhere as he fell on the floor. He could see people start to huddle around him including the guide, the woman at the counter, Will and Father Alexander. As the wailing siren grew louder in Jacob's ears, he began to scream, his vision blurred by the tears pouring out of his eyes. He felt himself thrashing as he cried out in pain, his head feeling as if placed within an ever tightening vice. The wailing increased in volume and ultimately became too much for Jacob to bear. With one last fit of terrible screaming, Jacob's vision faded to black as he lost consciousness.  
  
Jacob's eyes fluttered open. He lifted his head and found himself lying face down on the floor of the Historical Society. Jacob winced as he slowly got up to his feet. Rubbing his temples, Jacob looked about his surroundings, feeling a sense of confusion wash over him. He remembered passing out on the floor of the Historical Society with his classmates and tour guide hovering over him. However, the building appeared to be different. For one thing, he was the only one there. Glancing around, the Historical Society was in a state of extreme dilapidation. Paintings lay on the floor; the walls were dirty and spotted with dark patches Jacob did not wish to examine. In some areas, the wallpaper had been stripped. All of the glass counters and cabinets were broken; the sound of crunching glass broke the silence as Jacob walked about. The building was relatively dark; the only source of light was a small desk lamp on the chair the older woman had been sitting in before Jacob passed out. Examining the area around the counter, Jacob found a small flashlight and a map of South Vale in the broken display case. Taking the object in his hands, he pressed the small, circular button. With a faint click, a beam of light appeared from the lens of the flashlight. Finding nowhere else to go within the small museum, Jacob found the front door of the Historical Society. Turning the knob slowly, he opened the door, expecting to find his classmates. Instead, Jacob was met with a world of darkness. Instead of the bright and sunny spring day he experienced when he first arrived at the museum, the area in front of the building was pitch black. Much like inside the building, the only light source came from a small streetlight that stood a few feet from the Historical Society. Turning on his small flashlight, Jacob scanned the area around him. He began to walk a little as he guided the small beam of light in front of him. What unnerved Jacob the most was that the beam of light appeared to go on forever into the darkened abyss. Turning to his left, his flashlight centered on a yellow object. As he moved closer to the object, he soon discovered that it was the Hope House bus. The condition of the bus was not how he remembered it. The exterior of the vehicle was rusted and pitted, the wheels appeared to be violently slashed, with one rubber wheel apparently ripped off. All of the windows were shattered, with glass littering the area outside the bus, making it seem as it the windows were blown out from the inside. The condition of the bus and the darkened environment about him made Jacob wonder how long he had been unconscious. Why was he still at the Historical Society? Why didn't his classmates take him back to Hope House? Where were his classmates? Jacob turned around and faced the Historical Society, once again aiming his flashlight in every which way. Not knowing what exactly he should do, Jacob unfolded the map he picked up from the display case. If he read the map correctly, Rosewater Park was not too far along Nathan Avenue. It would be quite a walk, but Jacob had hoped he could find someone there who could take him back to Hope House. Jacob stepped out onto the street and began to walk, aiming the flashlight at his feet sporadically to make sure he was still walking on concrete, fearing as if he would walk off the edge of this dark world. Several times, Jacob lit the area around his feet to inspect the concrete only to find rusted steel grating. This sight bothered Jacob, even more so after he blinked and saw that the street had returned to normal. 


	4. Chapter 3

Don't get too comfortable with this chapter, I plan to fix it up by adding more lighting to the sequence ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------  
-Chapter 3-  
-Rosewater Park-  
  
Jacob continued walking down Nathan Avenue, the flashlight in his hand acting as the only source of light in this dark world. While aiming the beam around him, Jacob came upon a large sign that had the words "Rosewater Park" written in an elegant script. Jacob felt somewhat relieved, knowing that he had finally reached his goal. The next step was to search the park in hopes of finding any familiar faces, or at least meet up with someone who could give him a ride back to Hope House.  
Rosewater Park was a quaint little area that sat on the edge of Toluca Lake. It wasn't a park in the traditional sense; that is, it wasn't just a wide-open space of grass with a jungle gym set for children. The shape of the park is that of a large rectangle, with trails running along the sides and up the middle. The middle path featured a copy of leaves and on a normal day, the bright sun would cast shadows all along the path. Littered in the areas around the trails were benches, both made form stone and wood, and a couple gazebos. The lakeside section of the park featured six stone benches that overlooked the water. In between the third and fourth bench was a large stone obelisk, a memorial dedicated to the souls who lost their lives when a boat crossing the lake mysteriously sunk. Several telescopes, the type that required a quarter to use for a given amount of time, were placed near the fence that prevented people from falling into the water.  
Jacob found himself walking down the middle trail, his flashlight scanning the leaves in the canopy above him. The park was dead quiet. Jacob tried to shout out, calling out to anyone who may be there but was met with silence. Filled with a sense of hopelessness, Jacob did not know what he was supposed to do. Here he was, miles away from Hope House and not one person in sight to help him out. He sat against a brick wall near the end of the middle trail, feeling at a loss. Leaning his head against the cold wall, he tried to think of reasons why Silent Hill was so different, each solution he came up with more absurd than the next, which provided him with a moment's comic relief. Not really knowing what to do, James stood up and headed toward the lakeside area of the park. As he left the canopy trail, his ears picked up a faint said coming from a distance to his left. Turning, he aimed the beam of light in the direction of the sound. Much like before, the light seemed to go on forever into the darkness. Jacob slowly walked in the direction of the sound, which became louder as he got closer to the source. The closer he got, Jacob realized that the sound was humming. Turning the corner and moving onto the outer trail of the Park, Jacob shined the light in front of him.  
Leaning against the wall on the left side of the trail was a girl. What caught Jacob by surprise was that the clothes she was wearing were those provided by Hope House. Jacob ran over to her, excited to see another person.  
"Hey!" Jacob shouted as he rushed to the girl's side. "Hey! Are you from Hope House? Where is everyone? What happened to Silent Hill?"  
The girl continued to lean against the wall, humming a nameless tune. Jacob held the light in front of her, scanning the girl's features. She was a little shorter than Jacob was, her hands neatly folded over the front of her uniform. Jacob could not see any facial features on the girl, as her very long dark hair covered her face entirely. The humming continued.  
"Who are you?" Jacob asked. "Are you from the school? You are wearing the uniform. Are you okay?" Jacob placed his hand on the girl's arm.  
"Why are you here?" The girl spoke finally, her voice low and quiet.  
"I don't even know where I am exactly. I was on a field trip with my class. All I remember is passing out and waking up in the Historical Society. This can't be the same Silent Hill, though. Why is it so dark here?"  
"You shouldn't be here," the girl said, still leaning against the wall.  
"It will come soon. You shouldn't be here."  
"What will come soon? I don't understand," Jacob said, feeling a bit agitated. "It will come to take them into the fold. A part will be added to the whole. You should leave."  
"How am I supposed to leave when I don't even know how I got here?" Jacob asked, raising his voice. The girl stood silent, humming her song. Jacob grew angry and began to walk away.  
As Jacob took a few steps past the girl, new sounds broke the relative silence of Rosewater Park. There were several mysterious sounds emanating from the entrance of the park. Straining to hear, Jacob identified a low melodious droning that was somewhat similar to a chant. On top of that, Jacob could also hear the sounds of metal scraping against a hard surface. Wanting to discover the origins of these new sounds, Jacob began to walk towards the park's entrance only to be stopped by the mysterious girl, who placed her body directly in front of him.  
"You do not belong here. You must not be here. You must leave."  
"I told you that I don't know how to leave! I don't know how I got here!"  
The girl rushed to the other side of the trail and knelt down before a patch of dirt near several bushes. Jacob watched as the girl began to draw in the dirt, her long hair brushing the ground as she scrawled markings into the ground with quick movements of her hands. As Jacob moved to look over her shoulder, the girl grabbed his right arm and threw him to the ground.  
"You must not move," the girl said before running away.  
Looking down into the dirt, he examined what the girl had been drawing into the patch of dirt. It was a symbol, of sorts, consisting of one large outer circle, an inner circle and a large isosceles triangle directly in the center, the points touching the inner circle. In the triangle and space between the outer and inner circles were markings that Jacob could not decipher. Jacob was mystified by this symbol, trying to understand its purpose. What really confused Jacob was the fact that even though the symbol was written in the dirt, it appeared unaffected by Jacob's body as he lay upon the symbol. The image on the dirt remained no matter how many times Jacob tried to brush it away.  
While Jacob lay on the mysterious symbol, he could hear the chanting from the front of the park grow louder in volume. Believing that what was going on at the front of the park might provide him with an explanation; Jacob got up from the ground and rant to the left wall, hugging his body close as he crept quietly towards the entrance of the park. As he sneaked across the wall, the sound of scraping metal continued came in intervals, as if the person dragging the object was moving very slowly. When Jacob finally reached the edge of the wall, he slowly peered over the wall, looking at the grassy area before the beginning of the canopy trail. It was here that Jacob discovered the source of the chanting. Standing in a large semi-circle were eight cloaked figures. The hoods had been drawn so far over the head that Jacob could not identify any faces. The figures stood with their arms at their sides, their body slowly swaying as the chanting continued. Jacob moved his gazed to the right and discovered, with a shock, what had been causing the teeth chattering scraping sound.  
Pyramid Head stepped silently towards the semi-circle, dragging with him a long, rectangle shaped steel cage similar to those found in the painting Jacob saw at the Historical Society. Jacob strained his eyes, noticing that a body was lying in the cage but could not make out who it could possibly be. When Pyramid Head moved in front of the group of robed figures, he lifted up the cage and moved to place it on a high hook attached to a rather tall pole. Jacob found it rather odd that the cage was hung upside down, the victim's head not too far from the ground. One of the robed figures took a step forward, his arms slightly outstretched.  
"A part shall become one with the whole," the figure said in a low, unidentifiable voice. "Let Her will be done."  
Another robed figured walked slowly towards Pyramid Head, presenting a large staff in both hands. Pyramid Head took the staff from the figure, who then stepped back into the semi-circle. Placing the butt end of the staff on the ground, Jacob noticed that the opposite end was made into a sharp-looking spike. Jacob's eyes began to widen as he suddenly realized what was going to happen.  
As Pyramid Head turned around to walk behind the hanging cage, a low groan emanated from the cage followed by the victim's soft voice.  
"What's going on? Where am I...?"  
Jacob froze in his position behind the wall as he recognized the voice. It was Will. He saw Will struggle within the cage, listening as Will began to panic.  
"Where am I? Who are all of you? Why am I in a cage?"  
Will's struggling caused the hanging cage to twist and turn, spinning Will around gently, but enough to present Will with a glimpse at Pyramid Head. Will began to cry and scream, attempting to break free of his prison, causing the cage to swing harder.  
Pyramid Head steadied the cage with his right arm and taking the pike in his left hand. While Will screamed, the monster pulled his left arm back, aiming the tip of the pike at Will's back. With one powerful movement, Pyramid Head thrust the pike directly through Will's body, the screaming replaced by silence. Before Jacob could react, the familiar wailing of sirens suddenly flooded his ears. Falling on his knees, Jacob gripped his head, groaning as if some powerful force was squeezing it. Rocking his body back and forth, he tried not to cry out and attract the attention of the figures and Pyramid Head, but that was easier said than done. Jacob shook his head as if to brush off the pain, but the loud wailing continued and intensified. Jacob leaned against the wall as he grasped his throbbing head, his vision blurred and the park began to darken and fade away from Jacob's view.  
  
"How is he doing, Father?" said the tour guide.  
Father Alexander knelt before an unconscious Jacob, running a damp washcloth on his forehead. He stared at the young man; unable to understand why he had passed out on the floor.  
"I am not sure, really," said Alexander. "He seems to be okay, though. His pulse is normal, his breathing seems okay...Ah, welcome back, my son."  
Alexander smiled as Jacob's eyes fluttered open.  
"What happened...?" Jacob said softly and weakly.  
"Quiet, son. You passed out not too long ago. Gave us all quite a scare!"  
Jacob looked at those hovering over him and soon realized that he was on the floor of the Historical Society. Unlike his previous visit, this Historical Society was normal, the walls were clean and everything was in its place, save for the counter Jacob had smashed when he passed out. The building was rather empty; the only bodies present were that of Alexander, the tour guide and the woman from behind the counter.  
"How long was I out, Father?" Jacob asked.  
"You were away from us a good long while, my son. I'd say you were out for a good thirty minutes."  
"Thirty minutes?" Jacob said in surprise. He thought he was in the darkened Silent Hill for at least an hour. It was then that the memories of what happened in Rosewater Park, causing Jacob to sit immediately upright.  
"Will! Will's dead!"  
Alexander looked at Jacob with intense concern.  
"Jacob, why would you say such a terrible thing?"  
"I saw him! A monster killed him!"  
"Jacob, that's impossible."  
"I know what I saw," Jacob yelled at Alexander. The concerned expression on the older man's face caused him to feel sheepish. "I'm not really sure what I saw."  
"Jacob, you shouldn't say such terrible things."  
"But, Father, Will—"  
"Will is just fine. I sent him along with the rest of your class to Rosewater Park. They are all enjoying themselves, but they all share a deep concern over you."  
Jacob looked down at the floor. Will was fine? Then what did he see?  
"Is everything okay, my son? Should we take you to the hospital?"  
The tour guide chimed in. "Brookhaven is not too far, lad. We could take you there."  
Jacob looked at the guide and shook his head. "No, I think I am okay."  
"Are you sure, Jacob," Alexander asked. "We can easily get you some help. I'd like to know why you passed out. The entire class would."  
Jacob weakly got to his feet, rubbing his temples. "No, I think I am okay. I didn't eat much this morning. Maybe it had something to do with that."  
"Jacob, are you sure?"  
"Yes, Father. Thank you for your concern. I would really like to see Rosewater Park."  
Alexander smiled and patted Jacob's back. "Maybe the spring air will do you some good, my son."  
Jacob walked towards the door alongside Alexander. Before leaving, Jacob turned towards the tour guide.  
"I'm sorry for breaking your display, sir."  
"That's okay, lad. I'm just glad you're okay! Take care of yourself now!"  
Both Jacob and Alexander left the Historical Society where the bright sunny sky forced Jacob to shield his eyes as he had gotten used to the darkness in the Historical Society and the dark Silent Hill. The bus was empty because, just as Alexander said, he had sent his class on ahead to the park. Alexander and Jacob boarded the bus and took seats in the front end of the bus. Jacob stared out the window as the bus began to drive away from the museum towards Rosewater Park. Alexander broke the brief moment of silence.  
"Is there anything you'd wish to tell me, my son?"  
Jacob thought for a few seconds before answering. "No, Father. I probably just had another nightmare." Jacob smiled as he looked at the older man. "I should probably make sure I eat something next time, huh?"  
"That you should, Jacob" Alexander laughed but his eyes still held concern as the bus moved slowly down Nathan Avenue towards Rosewater Park. 


	5. Chapter 4

Somewhat short chapter. Still a WIP and subject to change and corrections. Just wanted to give people more parts of the story.

---------------------------------------------------

-Chapter 4-  
-Empty Eyes-  
  
The Hope House bus reached the parking lot adjacent to the entrance to Rosewater park. As Jacob got off the bus he looked around, recalling how different the area was compared to his nightmare. Taking the place of a dark abyss with scattered streetlights, there was an air of entertainment, as the din of people conversing, swimming and playing filled the spring air. Jacob placed his hands in his pockets and walked into the park, where he met with half a dozen students waiting for him. The students formed a large circle around Jacob, all asking at once whether or not he was okay, what happened to him and other incident-related questions. Jacob was caught off guard by the students and the questions and really didn't know what to say. After a few moments of looking at the wild-eyed youths, Jacob felt a hand rest on his shoulder.  
"Now, now, everyone," Father Alexander spoke above the din of the crowd, "Jacob just had a small fainting spell. Both of us attributed it to Jacob leaving Hope House without a proper meal." Alexander smiled at Jacob who, in turn, smiled softly back. "Let this be a lesson to all of you, that you must give your body proper nutrients so that each and everyone one of you will have the strength to face each new day. Now, let us leave young Jacob alone. This is his first trip to Rosewater and I am sure he would like to spend it without a gaggle of students crowding over him. Let us all be thankful that Jacob is okay."  
The gaggle of students began to disperse from Jacob, some going their own separate ways to specific areas of the park, others meeting up with fellow classmates. Jacob began to walk towards the area that led to the canopy trail, retracing the steps of his nightmare. He could still see the image of Will hanging helplessly in the steel cage, crying as the monster prepared to skewer him. But Father Alexander said Will was just fine, how could that be? Jacob remembered the pool of blood forming on the ground where Will's lifeless body rested above it. There was only one way to find the truth, he had to find Will.  
Jacob walked past the canopy trail and walked to the far side of the park, walking along the far trail. Walking down the white cobblestone walkway, Jacob spied a large white gazebo that had been home to two figures wearing school uniforms. Moving closer, Jacob could identify one of the figures to be Jessica, but could not see who the other figure had been. Stepping towards the gazebo, he watched as Jessica turned to face him, a look of deep concern and surprise on her sweet face. She rushed from her seat, running into Jacob's arms, clinging onto him tightly.  
"Jacob!" she called out, her voice slightly muffled as her face pressed against the black fabric of Jacob's uniform. "I heard you had an accident! That you passed out!" Jessica looked into Jacob's eyes. "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, Jessica," Jacob spoke softly as he held Jessica in his arms, he couldn't help but hold onto her tightly and close to him. "I didn't eat this morning, Father Alexander and I believe that I passed out from not eating enough this morning. Come to think of it, I do remember feeling really light headed before I blacked out."  
"Oh, Jacob," Jessica spoke as she took a step back, placing a soft hand on his cheek. "You should be more careful."  
Jacob didn't have the heart to tell what Jacob had seen in his nightmare. A part of him wanted to protect her from such horrors, that the more he experienced the Alternate Silent Hill, the more he could understand it and find a way to prevent himself and others from experiencing such a horrible place.  
"Jessica, I need to ask you something," Jacob spoke while glancing around him. "Have you seen Will? It's really important that I see him."  
"I have, Jacob," said Jessica, tilting her head to the left. "He's right here. I have been talking with him for the last several minutes."  
Jacob peered over Jessica's shoulder, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw Will slightly reclining on the gazebo bench, holding a white flower in his hands.  
"Jacob," Will spoke with a light and airy tone of voice. "Blessed be god who has brought you back to us. May She bless and protect you."  
Jacob began to move past Jessica who grabbed his arm.  
"Jacob," she whispered. "Something is strange. Will seems...different."  
Jacob nodded before taking a seat next to Will, who turned and faced him completely. "Will, how are you?"  
"I am perfectly fine, Jacob," Will replied. "I have never been better." Will placed the white flower under his nose, his eyes closed as he inhaled deeply. "This park is a testament to Her blessing, don't you think? Our god blesses us with so much beauty."  
Will smiled at Jacob brightly. Jacob examined the younger man's eyes, noting a subtle difference. His eyes looked...empty; soulless. The seemed to be a definite lack of warmth behind those cool blue eyes, no childlike sparkle.  
"Will," Jacob spoke quietly, turning his body closer to him to prevent Jessica from hearing. "Will, do you recall anything...strange happening to you not too long ago? Do you remember seeing this park, but situated in a place of darkness? What about robed figures? And," Jacob whispered very quietly, "a monster?"  
Will tilted his head and gave Jacob a quizzical look. "What are you talking about, Jacob? I have never seen anything of which you spoke. I don't know why you would think I have seen such dreadful things. God cannot create such a horrible place, devoid from Her love and kindness. I don't understand why you are asking me such questions."  
Jacob sighed and then smiled. "I'm sorry, I guess I am still out of it from blacking out. Thinking nothing of it, my friend."  
Will smiled back. "Very well. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to see the waterfront before we have to leave. I am glad you are doing well, Jacob." Will stood and moved towards Jessica, taking her hands into his. "Thank you for your company, Jessica. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon."  
Jacob and Jessica looked at each other as Will blissfully strode down the stone trail, appearing to have absolutely no care in the world. Jessica sat down next to Jacob in the gazebo.  
"What is different about him?" Jessica asked. "Did you notice his eyes?"  
"I did."  
"They seemed listless. Why is that?"  
"I don't really know."  
"Jacob, are you really okay?"  
Jacob looked into the girl's eyes, placing his hand over hers. "I am fine, Jessica. A bit scared about blacking out like that, but I am just fine. The bus driver shared part of his lunch with me on the way here, and I am feeling better. No need to worry."  
Jessica smiled as she leaned back against the back of the bench, her long brown hair spilling over the front of her shoulders. She placed her head against Jacob's shoulder and stared off in the direction of the waterfront. "Try not to pass out like that again. You really had me worried, Jacob."  
"I promise to be more careful."  
"You'd better, or I'll smack you one when you come to!" Jessica said while she laughed. Jacob laughed with her, sharing a peaceful moment in the park. It wouldn't be too long before the students were to board the buses back to Hope House, back to the routine of seminary education. Jacob let himself forget about classes, about the orphanage, even Will's supposed "death." Jacob sighed contentedly as he sat with Jessica in the gazebo, as if it was their special place. Jacob let all of his concerns and fears wash away, forgetting about Alternate Silent Hill, Will, and Hope House. There was nothing to bother him now, it was just him and Jessica, finding peace and calm in the quiet afternoon.


	6. Chapter 5

Same as chapter 4. WIP and subject to change. Just wanted to give you more!

--------------------------------------------------

-Chapter 5-  
-Sacrilege and Blasphemy-  
  
It had been one week since the students of Hope House left on their class trip to the Historical Society, one week since Jacob passed out cold on the museum floor and found himself in an alternate version of the town. The last few moments spent at the gazebo with Jessica at Rosewater park provided Jacob with a brief moment of reprieve from his concerns. When he returned to Hope House, his nightmares continued. They were variations on the nightmare he had been experiencing since he first came to the orphanage. He would always find himself running down a hallway, with walls covered in all sorts of unnatural stains, blood and grime, chased by a monstrous pursuer. The nightmares would differ in some instances, in particular, Jacob would find himself running through Hope House, but instead of concrete floors, rusted steel gratings would take its place, the only physical platform keeping Jacob from falling into the infinite sea of darkness. Although his nightmares would contain subtle differences, they always ended the same with his head pounding as his ears were flooded by the wailing sirens, the image of Pyramid Head moving to strike Jacob with giant knife. Jacob would always wake up as the knife came speeding down towards his head, his sheets and skin damp with sweat.  
Jacob tried to live his life the best he could given the horrific nature of the nightmares. The only thing that brought him peace where the frequent moments spent with Jessica. She could always bring a smile to his face. When not in classes, they would share lunches together and spend breaks walking the school grounds. However, when Jacob was in his required classes, he tried hard to fight off the inevitable feelings of boredom.  
Today's history class detailed the facts associated with the Norman Invasion during England's earliest history. Jacob tried his best to stay awake, but between his lack of sleep and the discussion of British medieval politics and battles, Jacob could not find interest. He began to doodle on his notebook, drawing silly faces and repeated figure eights, drawing on top of each one, causing a dark blotch to form on the paper. Jacob then drew a large circle with his pen. Inside that circle he drew another, smaller circle. Jacob started to draw the symbol the faceless girl drew in the dirt. Within the smallest circle, he drew the isosceles triangle, making sure that the three points touched the inner circle. He made little scribblings in the space between the two circle, pretending he knew the actual script on the seal. When he finished, he looked up and saw a Sister standing in front him, each and every student looking at him.  
"Well, Mr. Swanson, is the conquest of the Normans too boring for you?"  
"I, uh. No, Sister," Jacob stammered. "I'm sorry."  
"Well, maybe if you spent far less time doodling," the sister spoke as she grabbed Jacob's notepad, eyeing it over. "You might get something out of my lesson. You might learn..." the Sister's voice trailed as she stared at the symbol drawn on the paper. She placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. She muttered a quick prayer before grabbing Jacob's arm, pulling him out from his desk. She took him out of the classroom and led him through the hallway. When they reached Father Alexander's office, she threw Jacob down into one of the seats and burst through the office door. Jacob felt confused, he had no idea why his little drawing was causing such a fuss. Jacob could hear the sounds of muffled voices through the hall. Right when he tried to place his ear against the wooden door, it opened, revealing a concerned looking Father.  
"I need to speak with you, Jacob. You may leave us now, Sister." The woman left the office, muttering to herself, her palms clasped together. Jacob got up from his seat and walked into the office. The room was small, with bookcases lining the walls and a large wooden desk placed in front of a large open window looking out into the grounds of Hope House. Jacob took a seat in one of the chairs placed in front of the desk. Alexander gave Jacob his notebook before sitting at his desk, his hands held firmly together.  
"What is the meaning of this, Jacob?"  
"Father, I don't understand. It was just a scribble, sir."  
"Do you even know what that is?"  
"No, sir."  
"Do you realize you've befouled your notebook and classroom by scribbling such sacrilege?"  
"Honestly, Father. I did not know what I was doing. I do not know what it means. I saw it in my—"Jacob stopped himself, not wanting to expose his nightmares.  
"Was this...in your nightmares, Jacob?"  
Jacob sighed and lowered his head. He figured it was too late now. He whispered, "Yes."  
"I think it's time we talk about it, Jacob. Perhaps I'll discovered how you came to know this symbol."  
Jacob nodded his head. Alexander walked over to the other side of the room, lifting a pitcher of water. Pouring the clear fluid in a glass, he handed it to Jacob he thanked him after taking it in his hand. Alexander returned to his seat, leaning back, his hands folded against his chest. "Tell me about the nightmares, Jacob."  
"Well, I can't really explain them myself. I see myself running through the halls of Hope House. But it isn't Hope House as I know it. The walls are dirty, blotchy, smeared with rust, grime and blood. I'm always running in the dream, running away from something. Bed frames are scattered all over the place and one catches my hell, causing me to trip. When I hit the floor, I see what I am running from. It's a tower of a creature. Every part of it looks human, it's head covered by a large, red pyramid shaped helmet. He is dragging a large knife with him. My nightmares always end with the creature dropping its knife to my head."  
Alexander sat silently as Jacob finished his tale. He watched the younger student sip from his water glass.  
"That's a very interesting nightmare, Jacob. And you say this is a recurring nightmare?"  
"Yes, sir."  
Alexander sat in quiet thought. Jacob wished he could have read the older man's thoughts. Perhaps he had an answer.  
"What about the incident at the Historical Society, Jacob? Did you have the same nightmare?"  
"No, sir. It was very different."  
"Tell me, son."  
Jacob proceeded to tell Alexander about the nightmare centering around a dark enshrouded Silent Hill. He told the older man about how he walked to Rosewater Park and saw a girl wearing a Hope House uniform and how she drew the seal on the dirt for him to sit on. He noticed Alexander's eyebrow raise from this particular element of the nightmare. Jacob continued and told the priest about the ceremony, where Will's body was placed in a cage and ran through with a pike by the same monster that chased him down the hallway. After Jacob finished his tale, he looked up at the priest whose eyes showed a hint of surprise.  
"Very interesting, Jacob."  
"Father...what does it all mean? What is the symbol all about? Who were those robed figures?"  
Alexander got up from his desk and went over to the open window. A cool wind blew, the drapes flowing gently, the priest's robes remained still. After a few minutes of silence, the priest turned and faced Jacob.  
"I'm sorry for what you had to see, Jacob. I'm afraid you witnessed the more...darker nature of our religion."  
Jacob looked at the man quizzically. "What do you mean, Father."  
The older man sighed before speaking. "When our group first found our religion, it was one based on the hope that all pain, suffering and darkness would be lifted, ushering a time of eternal peace for all mankind. Initially, the founders believed that this time would come soon if the followers of god prayed hard enough and gathered those who wished to seek happiness and peace." Alexander moved across the room as he spoke. "Such as the nature of most groups, there was a growing level of tension between the founders. Some were content with a life of piousness and prayer, while others sought to...speed things up, so to speak."  
"How so?"  
"Well, this group grew impatient with the slow nature of achieving paradise. In our teachings, there is a tale told of a dark god who had once challenged our god. In a confrontation between them, god shook Her mighty fist and beat down the challenger. She banished the dark god Samael away from the world of Man, never to return. You remember this from your seminary classes, correct?"  
"Yes...yes, of course, sir."  
Alexander shook his head and laughed softly, shaking a finger at Jacob, who hunched his shoulders and looked sheepish.  
"Anyway, those impatient founders broke from the traditional teachings of our god and sought to utilize the power of Samael to speed up the coming of paradise. This splinter group needed followers of the own and instead of doing so through peace, they forced people to their way of thinking."  
"So...what I saw at Rosewater. Was that what they were doing?"  
"What you've told me sounds similar to the older practices."  
"What happened to them? Are...are they still around?"  
"No, no, Jacob. As time passed, people began to question how and why the splinter group's numbers grew. When their methods were exposed, everyone involved in the cult of Samael was excommunicated. From what we understand, the cult dispersed soon after."  
Jacob felt confused, he couldn't understand why he had seen something that occurred years ago in his nightmare.  
"Why did I see such a thing, Father?"  
Alexander sat down at his desk, running a hand through his thin dark hair. "No one really understands dreams, Jacob. No one can explain how they happen and why they show particular things. Since you had this nightmare at the Historical Society, perhaps you formed an image of the things you read about at the museum. The appearance of the...creature could have come from the painting displayed there."  
"But why did I see Will?"  
Alexander sat quietly, deep in thought. "I can't explain that either, Jacob. Chances are the person in the cage you spoke of was one of the victims from the past. Because your brain was building this alternate Silent Hill, you automatically put a familiar face on that individual. Perhaps in an attempt to make some sense of what was going on."  
Jacob rubbed his head trying to make sense of everything. His eyes dropped down to his notepad, staring at the symbol he drew.  
"So this symbol, is that the one used by the cult?"  
"That is the Mark of Samael, yes. Now that you understand what happened, you see what all the fuss was about. It is an evil mark, one that reminds all of us here of a more sinister element of our religion. We must not let the bad apples spoil the bunch, yes?"  
"Yes, Father."  
"I can see that what you've done is a textbook case of misunderstanding. But now that you know what you know, you'll understand that you must never create this symbol. It is sacrilege and blasphemy, Jacob."  
"I understand, Father."  
"You should probably not go around telling anyone about this. No sense in bringing up such terrible things. Have you told anyone, Jacob? Be honest, my son. Our god sees and hears all. She knows when you are telling the truth or not."  
"I haven't told anyone, Father. I swear."  
"Very good. You may return to class now, my son. Oh, and I will dispose of your notebook as well. Anything carry the evil mark should be gotten rid of. Be well, my son."  
Jacob took his time getting back to class, trying to wrap his mind around what Alexander had revealed to him. Even though he discovered the foundation of his nightmares, he didn't understand why he was having them, why he was seeing things that don't concern him. He wanted to know more about this mysterious cult of Samael, as if their situation could shed further answers. Jacob knew that would be close to impossible, seeing how everyone considers the very whisper of their name blasphemy.  
Jacob returned to his classroom and walked through the door, interrupting the Sister's lecture. She, along with the entire class stared at him, following Jacob with her eyes as he quietly moved back to his seat. He placed his arms neatly on the desktop and looked at the Sister. She nodded slightly and resumed her lecture, turning so that her back faced the class as she wrote on the chalkboard.


	7. Chapter 6

WIP, subject to change and grammar check

------------------------------------------------------

-Chapter 6-  
-Jessica-  
  
"So the Sister just went nuts?" Jessica asked. She and Jacob were sitting underneath the shade of a large oak tree that was situated some distance away from the main grounds of Hope House. Jessica was sitting on her legs looking at Jacob, who was lying down flat on his back, his legs crossed, his head propped up slightly against the tree. Classes were over for the day and Jacob spent the rest of the afternoon with Jessica.  
"Yeah, she flipped out. I didn't even know what I had been drawing, honestly."  
"That's really bizarre."  
"Tell me about it."  
Jessica turned her body and leaned her back against the oak tree. She extended her legs and placed her hands on her lap, the lightness of her skin contrasting with the dark skirt. She closed her eyes as pieces of sunlight that escaped through the covering canopy of leaves caressed her face gently. Her hair hung softly over her left shoulder. After awhile, she finally spoke.  
"Tell me about your dreams, Jacob. Please?"  
"I don't know. They're pretty bad."  
Jessica sat up and faced Jacob, her eyes pleading. "Aw, c'mon. You told Alexander about it."  
"That was because I thought I was going to get into trouble!" Jacob said with a laugh, sitting up. Jessica placed her fists on her hips, trying to create a scornful look.  
"You'd be in trouble if you don't tell me!"  
Jacob threw up his hands and laughed. "All right, all right! I'll tell you. Don't say I didn't warn you."  
Jacob spent the next half hour explain his nightmares in detail. He told Jessica everything, about the monster with the pyramid shaped helmet chasing, about him seeing Will hung in a cage, the crowd of hooded figures that gathered at Rosewater. Jacob looked at Jessica when he finished speaking, looking into her wide eyes. She seemed shaken by what Jacob had told her. He reached his hand over to take hers.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Oh, Jacob. No one should have such terrible dreams."  
"Yeah, I agree."  
"Why are they happening to you?"  
"I don't know."  
Jessica fell over against Jacob's arm, resting there quietly. She held tightly onto his hand.  
"So what about that symbol? What did Alexander have to say about it?"  
"Apparantly that was the symbol for a dark god. There was a splinter group within the religion, known as the cult of Samael. When they wanted to get people to follow their cause, they...well they forced them into it." Jacob felt Jessica shiver against his arm. "He said we really don't have to worry about it, considering that it happened many years ago."  
"What happened to the cult?"  
"Alexander said they dispersed soon after they were excommunicated."  
Jessica furrowed her brow in thought. "Why would you be dreaming such a thing?"  
"I don't really know. I still get figure out why I saw Will. Alexander said I was using him to add a sense of reality to the dream. Said that my brain constructed the whole thing. Honestly, I don't really by that. His screaming, his fear. It seemed all too real to me."  
"Do you think it has something to do with his...change?"  
"I don't know. Apart from his eyes, he seemed relatively the same before."  
The two students sat quietly for several moments, thinking about Will, Jacob's nightmares and what Alexander had told him about the seal. Interrupting their period of silent contemplation, a loud bell sounded from the school, indicating that all students were to return to the campus for the mid-afternoon prayer and dinner. Jacob got to his feet, reaching for Jessica's hands, gripping them gently as he lifted her up from the ground. She brushed her hands over her skirt, casting away the dead blades of grass from her black skirt. She smiled at him before turning towards the direction of the school. Jessica noticed that Jacob was not walking alongside her. She turned around and found Jacob leaning against the oak tree, his breathing heavy, his forehead damp with sweat.  
"Jacob?" Jessica asked as she walked over to him.  
Jacob's voice was filled with strain. "Do...do you hear it?"  
"Hear what, Jacob? Are you okay?"  
Jacob fell to his knees, grunting. "A siren. A loud...painfully loud siren. Jessica, help me."  
Jessica ran over to Jacob, gripping his shoulders as if to attempt to shake him out of his state while Jacob reached up and took her hand. The moment their hands connected, Jessica's ears were flooded by the piercing wail of the air raid siren. She fell to her knees, crying in pain as her vision blurred. The two students writhed on the ground as the wailing grew louder and more intense. It was not long before the both of them passed out.  
  
Jessica's eyes fluttered open. She found herself lying face down on the soft, dry grass near the oak tree. As she pushed her self up, she felt a sharp pain in head. As she clasped her hands near her temples, she fell onto her back, breathing hard as she tried to manage the pain that slowly began to fade away. When the pain subsided, she looked over her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was. Instead of the warm, sunny afternoon she had been resting in, she was placed into a world of darkness. The area wasn't enveloped in total darkness, as the light posts outside of the Hope House grounds dimly lit the area. Jessica found it strange that she had been outside the building at night and wondered why no one bothered to take her inside. As she slowly got to her feet, Jessica noticed a figure standing near the entrance of Hope House. Brushing the blades of dead grass from her skirt, she carefully walked towards the figure. As she got closer, the person turned and faced her. It was Jacob.  
"Jacob!" Jessica shouted as she ran up to his side. "What's going on? What happened just now?"  
Jacob didn't say a word, he just stared at the young girl.  
"Jacob? Are you okay? What happened? I heard sirens...."  
"What are you doing here, Jessica?"  
"What are you talking about?" Jessica asked, looking directly at him. "I go to Hope House too, you know."  
"This isn't the Hope House you know of, Jessica. This is a nightmare. Why are you here? How did you get here?"  
"What do you mean your nightmare...?"  
"Don't you have eyes? Look around! We are surrounded by darkness. The only light is from these street lamps. Haven't you even looked at Hope House?"  
Jessica turned her gaze away from Jacob and looked towards the building. Her mouth hung open a little as she looked at the dilapidated building in front of her. All of the windows showed some damage, some were boarded up with wooden planks, while others looked as if the glass had been blown out from the inside. Shards of glass littered areas below certain windows and the walls appeared to be really dirty and covered with a dark muck. The cobblestone path that led towards the building entrance was misshapen from the huge weeds that sprung from underneath the stones. Jessica took Jacob's arm, moving close to him.  
"Jacob...why am I here?"  
"I don't know, Jessica. I can't figure it out."  
"I remember seeing you struggle before, you look like were sick. You asked about me hearing sirens. I tried to grab your shoulders but you took my hand. That's when I started to hear the sirens too—oh, Jacob. It was terrible, my skull...."  
"...Felt like it was going to explode, right? That is what it was like my first time. I still don't understand how you got here. Maybe the contact we made had something to do with it."  
"But Jacob," Jessica whispered. "How do we get out of here...?"  
"I don't know...well, that's not true. I have an idea, but you really don't want to know."  
"What Jacob? What—"  
"Let's go inside. Maybe we can find something in there."  
"Jacob," Jessica whispered. "I don't want to go in there...."  
"You'd rather stay out here?"  
Before Jessica could respond, Jacob started to move towards the large double oak doors that led to the Hope House lobby. Jessica clung tightly to Jacob's arm as he moved, determined to stay close to him in this mysterious place.  
The lobby was nothing like they had seen before. Instead of the pristine, sterile white of the walls and linoleum floor, the entire area was covered in a dark muck. Both Jacob and Jessica slipped a couple times, their feet making contact with the slick substance. The area was dimly lit by desk lamps and the flickering florescent ceiling lights. With the exception of the hum coming from the ceiling lights and the soft thumping of shoes against the hard floor, the room was dead quiet. Jacob walked over towards a small counter near the entrance, using it to steady himself on the slippery floor. As soon as his hands came in contact with the counter, his hands felt damp. Lifting both palms in front of his face, he found that they were covered in blood. Breathing hard, he turned to Jessica and motioned her away from the desk. Wiping his bloody hands on his dark pants, he reluctantly peered over the other side of the counter.  
Sitting in the swivel chair was a figure, it's head lying lifeless face down on the desk. Jacob couldn't discern any facial features the head had been sitting in a large pool of dark red fluid. From what he could see in the light, the head was still attached to the body but had no hair. Instead of normal looking skin, it appeared to be some sort of shiny substance, like some sort of skin-like plastic. Dotting the head were more dark blotches, darker than those found on the walls. As Jacob slowly moved his hand toward the side of the head to move it for a better look, he felt a tugging at his sleeve. Turning around, he looked at a white faced Jessica, her mouth and eyes open wide.  
"Jessica? What is it?"  
The girl pointed to the far side of the room. Jacob followed her gaze to the farthest wall of the lobby. He felt his stomach churn slightly, an odd feeling in his throat. As he suppressed a gag, he gazed at the wall. Strung up by thin wire was another figure with the same type of skin as the one behind the front counter. However, the figure was hung by his arms, its stomach appeared to have been eviscerated. Jacob heard Jessica gagging at the sight before them, Jacob tried with great difficulty to supress the bile rising his throat. He wheeled on Jessica.  
"Don't look at it." He grabbed her close against him, tightening his grip as Jessica buried her face into the soft fabric of his shirt. Jacob looked around and couldn't understand why he didn't see these strange bodies when they walked in. The wall was empty when they came in. He felt Jessica's body tremble against.  
"Jacob," she spoke, fear in her voice. "Did you see what those...those things are wearing? They're...."  
"School uniforms." Jacob had noticed the telltale colors of the Hope House uniforms, noting that they were both in the style for boys. The clothes were tattered a bit, but the style was discernable.  
"What is going on here?" Jessica asked, sounding as if she was crying. "What is happening? Why me? Why us?"  
Before Jacob could answer, he heard a low, moaning noise. Both Jacob and Jessica turned toward the source of the sound, gazing at the reception desk. Both of them froze as they saw the featureless head slowly rise from the inner desk. Jacob couldn't see any eyes, but the chill running down his spine told him that the creature was staring right at him. The creature slowly rose from the chair, it's movements jerky and clearly not human. The upper part of the body seemed to slither about in all directions. Normally Jacob would expect a person's spine to break if they tried that, but the creature continued to move and slither unnaturally. Jessica's eyes conveyed the feeling of pure terror. Her mind couldn't accept what her eyes presented her with. What was this horrible creature wearing a school uniform doing at this bizarre place. Why had she been brought here? Jessica's mind reeled at her situation. She looked at Jacob who had been speaking to her, his words taking a long time to register with her. "—got to move! We've got to get away!" Jessica jumped as she heard the loud sound of a door slamming shut. Jacob ran over towards the doors that led outside and pulled on the handle as hard as he could. When the door failed to pull open, Jacob frantically slammed his shoulder repeatedly against the wood, but the doors would not open.

Jacob rubbed the pain in his arm and looked back at the creature from behind the desk. It slowly began to make its way toward them. Jessica saw another door at the opposite side of the room next to the hanging body and motioned Jacob to follow her. Before they reached the door, they heard another moaning sound, this time it came from the hanging figure. Jessica screamed as the creature writhed violently in its place, as if it were struggling to break free. With a sickening tearing sound, Jacob saw a black fluid pour out from the creature's wrists as the wire cut through the blotchy skin. With it's arms free, the creature fell flat on the floor and continued to writhe. Jacob scanned the area about him and found a broke broom handle in one of the corners of the room. Grasping the handle tightly, he placed his body in front of Jessica and prepared to defend her from the creature. Jacob watched as the monster slowly began to rise on it's knees. When te monster faced him, Jacob trembled as the creature emitted a low sounding roar. It was this terrible noise that caused Jacob to wail the creature violently with the broken boom handle. Jacob had to keep his grip on the broom handle, as he beat the creature with such savage ness that he felt the handle begin to slip from his hand. Jacob continued to bash the handle against the monster, hearing the sickening sounds of bones breaking as he struck the creature repeatedly over the head. With a loud snap, the brrom handle snapped under the brutal attacks. The monster had fallen back on the floor from the initial blow to the head. With each swing of the handle, the creature shook violently.

It wasn't until the broom handle broke that the creature was still once again. Jacob turned to Jessica who had fled away from him, terrified by his actions. She knew that he had simply been defending her, but she couldn't stand the savagery. Jessica saw Jacob run towards her and gripped her arm. With a sudden force, he pulled her up to her feet. Jacob's face was so close to hers, his eyes lit by a violent fire from within. "Let's go! There's still one here!" Jacob was still carrying the broken broom handle, his hand covered in the dark fluid that splattered from each blow. Jessica allowed Jacob to take her away from the corner, running with him to the opposite door. She looked behind her and saw that the other creature continued to slither and jerk his upper torso around. It didn't appear to pursue them, it was as if it was stuck behind the desk...or did it see what Jacob had done? Was that why he still held the broom handle? When they reached the door, Jacob threw it wide open, throwing the young girl through the dark opening. Jacob turned to face the creature standing a distance away, his blotchy hand pointing the broken stick at the monster as if to threaten it if it came forward. When he was through the doorway, Jacob threw the stick on the ground and slammed the door behind him. Jessica screamed as she heard a loud screeching sound and the rushing of footsteps. Jacob threw his body against the door and grunted as the creature slammed itself against the door, obviously trying to force its way through. After several minutes of pounding, screeching and grunting, everything stopped suddenly, as if a light had been switched off. To be safe, Jacob held himself still against the door a few minutes after everything stopped.

When he was satisfied, he slowly pulled himself away and began to breathe very hard. Jessica came up to him and placed her hand on the boy's shoulders. He looked into her eyes. "Jessica, we have to find a way home. We've got to get out of here, somehow." Jacob straightened himself and looked around for another object to use as a weapon. He found a bent bed frame leaning against the wall to his right. Gripping one of the metal bars from the frame, he pulled it from the base as hard as he could, freeing the thin piece of metal. Gripping the bar tightly, he turned to face the long hallway, again dimly lit by light. He motioned Jessica behind him as they slowly made their way deeper into Hope House.


	8. Chapter 7

WIP, subject to change and grammar checkup

----------------------------------------------------

-Chapter 7-  
-A Place of Darkness and Death-  
  
Jacob and Jessica made their way through the long halls of Hope house, occasionally peering through doors and windows for any signs of human life. The halls were dark, dank and quiet. With the exception of the two slipping from the greasy muck that covered the walls and floors, the journey was uneventful. Jacob and Jessica did discover more of those strange creatures wearing the school uniforms, however unlike the two in the lobby, ve a short laugh. "This is my homeroom. It seems like it was months ago when the Sister dragged me to Alexander's office for drawing the symbol."  
"Should we check inside? Maybe we could find something useful."  
"Like what?" Jacob asked wryly. "Maybe our classmates are in there, waiting for us to come inside and then shout out 'surprise!'"  
Jessica looked down, feeling hurt. Jacob turned to her and took her hand. "Jessica, I'm sorry. I didn't y homeroom. It seems like it was months ago when the Sister dragged me to Alexander's office for drawing the symbol."  
"Should we check inside? Maybe we could find something useful."  
"Like what?" Jacob asked wryly. "Maybe our classmates are in there, waiting for us to come inside and then shout out 'surprise!'"  
Jessica looked down, feeling hurt. Jacob turned to her and took her hand. "Jessica, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound upset. I'm not angry at you." They stood there for a moment, Jacob broke the silence by breathing a heavy sigh.  
"We should check it out though. Maybe we can find something to properly defend ourselves."  
Jacob reached for the rusty doorknob and tried to twist it. The knob wouldn't budge and Jacob felt a few flakes of rust fall from the metal object. Gripping the doorknob with both hands, he used as much strength as he could muster and tried to twist the handle. Still nothing. Jacob lifted his left leg and slammed his foot against the metal knob in frustration. With a loud crashing sound, the door fell violently away from the hinges, glass flying as the window smashed from the force of the kick. Jacob's shoulder's were hunched up, completely surprise by what he had done. Jessica came over to the wall, crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a peculiar look. Jacob smirked and laughed, causing Jessica to do the same.  
They became serious again as Jacob peered into the classroom. Taking Jessica's hand, they slowly moved inside the darkened room, carefully stepping over the broken wood and shattered glass. Once inside, they were again met with another gruesome display. Lining the walls of the classroom were cages similar to the one that held Will captive. Inside the cages were apparently bodies, but they seemed to be wrapped tightly in blotchy straight jackets. There were no desks in the center of the room, just the hard wood flooring. At the very front of the room was a large chalkboard, a long desk situated in front of it. Jacob started walking around the room, examining the hanging bodies. It unnerved him that they were resting there so silently. He saw Jessica walk past him and walk towards the very back of the room. She was looking at the wall space between two hanging cages.  
"Jacob, look."  
Jacob rushed over to her side and glanced at the wall that held words written in a dark red substance which read,

I am the Crimson One.  
You all know that I am One.  
Yes, and the One is I.  
Believers hearken to me!  
  
Directly below the text was a large circular symbol. Within the large circle was a smaller one and in the space between the two circles was an unreadable script. It had reminded Jacob of the seal he saw at Rosewater, but instead of a triangle there were three smaller circles. Jacob had seen this symbol before, so had Jessica.  
"Jessica, doesn't that look familiar?" Jacob said softly.  
"That is the symbol...for the religion, isn't it? What the Sisters, Fathers and Alexander teaches us about?"  
"What is it doing here? In a place like this?"  
"Maybe this is a good thing," Jessica said with hope. "Maybe a Father is here!"  
"I don't know Jessica," Jacob said as he looked around the room again. "Doesn't this seem like a bad place to put such a benevolent symbol? I mean, take a look around you. And what about the inscription?"  
Jessica placed her fingers over the patchwork seal on her shirt. Jacob walked away from the wall and stood in the center of the room facing the door. Jessica glanced at his back for a moment and went back to the wall. She placed her hands on the wall, feeling the smooth space that had been free of muck. She let her fingertips glide over the letters and the seal before pulling herself upright. She heard Jacob take a sharp intake of air.  
Jessica spoke as she turned around. "Jacob? Who do you think is the Crimson One? I've never heard—"She stopped dead in her tracks as she took in the sight before her. Jacob spoke quietly, "I think I might have an inkling as to who it is, Jessica." Standing in the doorway was a rather large figure. Its head was covered by a large, red pyramid shaped helmet and the lower body wrapped in a bloody smock. In its hand was a large, rusty pike, his feet covered by knee high black boots. The creature did not move, it just stood there watching. A low growling sound was emanating from behind the helmet. "What is that thing?" Jessica's voice was filled with panic. "Don't move, Jessica. Don't give it an excuse. It's...him. The one from my nightmares." Pyramid Head continued to stand in the doorway, watching and waiting. It turned it's body toward the front desk. Both Jessica and Jacob followed it's gaze.

There was a sickening lurching sound coming from behind the front desk. There were terrible moans, sounding almost female. Jacob moved in front of Jessica who gripped his shoulders from behind, both equally terrified. The lurching noises continued until the creature fully rose from the floor. To their shock, the monster was wearing the clothes of a Sister. The blue garb was torn and shredded in a few places, revealing the same blotchy skin of the monsters in the lobby. The monster looked female, as it had the curvy hips and chest but no anatomical features, especially on the face. Much like the previous monsters, it was as if a plastic skin was stretched over the creature, hiding its true visage. The creature stood on the desk and stared into the direction of the two students. The create let out a terrible screeching noise, causing both Jacob and Jessica to cover there ears. The Sister monster continued to stand on the front desk as it extended its arms forward. More lurching sounds continued as a line began to appear horizontally across the creature's stomach. The line extended and stopped when they reached the creature's sides. With a terrible tearing sound, the line opened up, revealing an ugly maw lined with sharp teeth. A long tongue shot out and whipped the empty around in front of the creature. Jacob couldn't believe his eyes. He tried to guide Jessica back towards the side wall.

As they moved closer to the wall, one of the caged figures nearest Jessica sprung to life and shook violently, trying to break free from its prison. Suddenly, all the creatures came alive, all writhing and struggling. Jacob quickly looked at each monster on the walls, the Sister at the front desk and then back to the door. He watched in amazement as Pyramid Head slowly turned around and left the room. "Looks like he didn't want to get its hands dirty," Jacob whispered to himself. Jessica was breathing heavily and crying. She frantically whispered to Jacob, "What are we going to do? Jacob! We're stuck! These terrible things are going to kill us! I don't want to die, Jacob! Not here!"  
"Jessica, keep calm, we gotta think!" Easier said than done, Jacob thought to himself . He searched the room for anything useful. He was thinking of taking Jessica and making a run for the door, but the Sister had been watching for their every move. That tongue didn't look friendly, either. He wondered how fast that thing could attack and how far it could reach. Escaping was out of the question for now. They would have to fight their way out. What chance could two young seminary students have against such vile creatures? What about the wall monsters? How much time before they free themselves? Jacob's thoughts were interrupted by the Sister's terrible screeching as the monster slowly moved toward them.


	9. Chapter 8

WIP, subject to change and grammar checkup. My first written fight sequence, hope it's satisfactory.

-------------------------------------------

-Chapter 8-  
-The Sister-  
  
Jacob and Jessica jumped out of the creature's path. Jacob had jumped an extra two feet to his left just in time to avoid the whip-like movements of the creature's tongue. The upper body of the Sister jerked around, the torso moving unnaturally. Jessica tried to back away from the monster but shrieked as she bumped into one of the cages that was shaking violently from the occupant desperately trying to break free from it's prison. Hearing the shriek, the Sister turned towards Jessica and started heading towards her. The terrible mouth jutting out from the Sister's stomach snapped open and shut, the sounds of sharp teeth smashing together made Jacob's skin crawl. Jacob started to scream at the monster, cursing at it, saying anything that would turn its attention away from the girl. Jacob lifted his right arm, brandishing the steel rod and lunged for the creature. Before Jacob could hope to make contact, the creature's head turned a complete 180 degrees and saw the oncoming attack. The Sister was expertly dodging Jacob's frantic swings, the piece of steel only cutting the air. With another loud screech, the long tongue whipped around and wrapped itself around the metal bar. With such incredible force that Jacob could not counter, the creature's tongue ripped the bar out of Jacob's grip and tossed it to the front of the room. With the tongue free again, it smashed itself against the Jacob's rib cage, throwing him hard against the wall bearing the mysterious inscription and seal. Jacob heaved, his arms pressed against his chest, his breathing laborious.

Jacob had expected the creature to lunge for him considering that he could barely move, but the monster rounded towards Jessica. He tried to shout at the monster to get its attention, but his difficulty and the loud noises coming from the caged monsters easily drowned out his cries. Jessica ran to the far side of the room, crying out in panic. Jacob rose to his feet and mustered the remaining ounce of strength left in him. Staring at the monster's back, Jacob made a run for it, placing his right shoulder in front of him, placing all of his weight into it, hoping to knock it away from Jessica before it could see what Jacob was planning to do. As the distance between the monster and himself, he saw the creature's head turned to the left. Panicked, Jacob ran faster but found himself surprised that the monster didn't turn it all the ways around like last time. Before Jacob could really comprehend what was going on, he felt his body smash against the back of the creature who let out a deep grunt. The force of Jacob's maneuver threw them both away from Jessica and onto the floor several feet away. With his right arm feeling numb and sore, Jacob scrambled back onto his feet and moved to Jessica's side. Before he could say anything, Jessica thrust a finger at the opposite wall. Jacob followed her direction and understood how he had been lucky with the monster. One of the cage creatures was free. That is to say that the upper portion of the monster was free from its prison, long arms looking like sanitarium jacket sleeves made of terrible flesh flailing all over. Loud screeching filled the air as one caged creature after another broke free from the binds that held their arms. Sounds of air being whipped complimented the screeching and screams as the cage monsters hungered for flesh.  
Jacob pulled Jessica close to keep her out of the cage monster's reach. He looked over at the crumbled heap of the floor that was the Sister. He could hear a low growl as it got to its feet. It moved rather slowly, taking lots of time to get up and steady itself. The creature faced Jacob, if it had eyes Jacob would be able to see the daggers and the fire of rage behind them. Jacob's attack must have done more damage than he thought. He sneered at the creature, "We aren't going out so easily." The creature roared so loudly it had silenced the cries coming from the cages. They all focused on what was occurring in the center of the classroom. The jaws in the Sister's stomach snapped threateningly, the tongue slamming violently against the floor, creating a hole and sending wood splinters all over. The Sister's hand reached down and picked a piece of broken wood and threw it at the two students. Jacob grabbed Jessica and ducked to the floor as the piece of wood flew past them and hit one of the cage monsters. With unnaturally quick speed, the long sleeve-like arms caught the wood and ripped it into smaller pieces. It screeched, upset that it was not the prey it had wanted. Jacob watched this action and quickly formulated a place. He knew the creature was incredibly angry with him for doing the damage against it. He needed to figure a way to use that to his advantage.  
"Jessica," Jacob whispered, keeping his eyes on the monster in front of him. "We've got to get the creature into the reach of the cage monsters. We might be able to escape if we can lure it in range of those monsters."  
"How on earth do you expect to do that?" she said, incredulous.  
"I don't know, but this thing is pretty ticked off at me." Jacob watched as the creature continued to try and intimidate him. "Maybe if we rush it, it will do the same. If we move fast enough we can jump out of its path."  
Jessica looked behind her and noticed the empty wall at their backs. She whispered, "We should move a bit. Get those monsters behind us." Jacob nodded and they shuffled slowly into the right position. The creature followed them with its eyeless, hateful stare. Jacob nodded at Jessica who prepped herself for the bold move. With a shout, she and Jacob ran towards the Sister. The creature was a bit surprised by this gambit, but let out a loud roar and rushed for the oncoming pair. When Jacob felt that significant distance had been made, he shouted for Jessica to move away from him. As she bolted to her side, Jacob did the same, praying his plan would work.  
For a brief instant, it appeared that the gamble had paid off. The creature ran through the gap created by the two students. However, instead of running completely to the wall, it stopped dead in its tracks, a few feet away from the range of a cage monster's arms. Jacob cursed under his breath and stared at the monster. Now what, genius? He thought to himself. He tried to think of another plan, but was startled by a shout coming from Jessica. Before he could react, Jacob saw the creature's long tongue fly towards him and wrap around his neck. Jacob tried to grip the disgusting appendage, but the texture was too slippery and too smooth to take a firm grip. He gasped as he felt the tongue squeeze his neck, slowly cutting off the air from his lungs. He felt his knees buckled as he tried to breathe, the vice like grip of the tongue around his neck squeeze more and more. Jacob's vision started to blur, his ears flooded with screams from Jessica and the monsters. Jessica. He wanted to help her, his death could be useful to her. He tried to shout out, the tongue gripping and squeezing out! Run while you...can!"  
Jessica stood there frantically, she couldn't bear to see Jacob die, not so horribly. She looked around the room to try and find something useful. She looked to where the monster appeared from the front desk and spotted a familiar object. She scurried over to the spot and pick up the steel rod Jacob hand pried off from the bed frame. Gripping the object in her hands, she quickly made her way back to the monster. With a yell, she swung the rod as hard as she could. Because it was so focused on killing Jacob, the monster didn't notice the weapon swinging towards the side of its head. Jessica's blow was a fierce one, the rod jarring loose from her grip as the piece of steel smashed against the creature's head. The tongue around Jacob's neck loosened as the creature staggered backwards. Jessica ran over to Jacob and held him in her arms, trying to pull him up to his feet. Jessica looked up and saw the monster realign itself. She closed her eyes and braced for what was most definitely to come, trying to steel herself as the monster let loose a blood curling scream.  
In between his loud heaves, Jacob whispered. "Jessica...you did it...."  
The girl opened her eyes and saw that the Sister was caught up in the arms of three cage monsters, each one frantically pulling at the monster's limbs. Jessica knew why the monster was making such horrible noises. The cage monsters were trying to tear it apart. Jessica didn't want to see such a foul thing and neither did Jacob, who was trying to scoot away. She pulled him up to his feet, taking his right arm over her shoulder and wrapping her arm around his waist for support. They moved back towards the classroom door as the monster's cries grew louder, the sounds of tearing filling up the room. The three cage monsters that held the Sister were frantically pulling, gripping the arms and legs as tight as they could. The creature tried to whip at the monsters, but one of them managed to grip the tongue, pulling the appendage as much as the limbs. With a sickening sound, the cage monster managed to rip the tongue away from the mouth, spewing a black substance on the floor and onto nearby monsters. Just as the tongue was pulled away, the Sister's left arm gave way along with its right leg. The screaming grew more and more terrible and too much for the students to bear. They quickly staggered out of the room and walked down the hall just before a cage monster wrapped its arms around the Sister's head and twisted it off, sending more black fluid all over the room. When the Sister grew limp, the cage monsters dropped the body on the floor and returned to their silent positions.


	10. Chapter 9

-Chapter 9-  
-Uneasy Respite-  
  
Jessica grunted quietly as she supported Jacob whose left arm appeared to be badly injured and his right leg limping. Jacob tried to support himself as best he could, but would fall victim to an occasional stumble. Jessica gripped his other arm that had been wrapped around her neck and tried to keep her other arm firm against his waist. The two students made their way through the dimly lit hallway, the walls dark with the slick, black fluid that had been caked over every section of the walls and floors. Jacob kept turning his head around, trying to find a room they could hide out in. Most of the doors they found were either missing or boarded up carelessly with wooden two-by-fours. They walked for some time until Jessica spotted a door with black letters that spelled "Lounge" on the dirty window. She guided Jacob towards the wooden door and watched as Jacob took a firm hold on the doorknob. Expecting the door to be lock or the metal knob rusted, she prepared herself to start moving again. However, she was surprised to see the doorknob gave way gently as Jacob twisted the metal object. Jessica led the way into the room and scanned the new surroundings.  
The lounge was actually a room for the faculty of Hope House. At the far end of the room was a large oak table that looked like it had been ripped in half, wooden splinters sticking out from the torn edges. Situated on the far wall was a countertop which was the home for many kitchen appliances. A coffee machine sat next to a sink filled with dirty and broken plates. One of the cabinet doors under the sink was open, exposing a pile of dirty rags and cleaning supplies. Lining the walls were windows, but they had all been boarded up. Jessica saw Jacob point to a couch that was placed a few feet away from the door and guided him gently to it. She tried to carefully place him on the couch, but his wounded right arm slammed against the back of the couch, sending a wave of sharp pain up to his brain. He stifled a groan, but Jessica looked at him sadly, figuring it must have hurt like mad. Jacob turned his body enough so that his back was facing the door and resting against the arm of the seat. Jessica ran back and shut the door, leaning against it after she heard the soft click of the metal fitting into the space on the doorframe, sealing them away from the hall. Jessica crossed her arms against her chest, trying to get the sound of the Sister being torn apart out of her head. Both she and Jacob tried to get away before anything could happen, but the screeching and tearing was so loud. Jessica had almost heaved, but she willed herself not to do so. The girl looked over to Jacob who was trying to adjust his arm into a comfortable position. Her eyes displayed sadness as she watched him. He had tried so hard to keep her safe from the creature, placing himself in danger and even prepared to end his life for her safety. She walked over to the couch and sat across from him, sitting on her legs. Jacob smiled at her softly.  
"Hi, there."  
"Jacob, are you okay?"  
Jacob looked at the young and disheveled girl in front of him. Her face carried a light sheen of perspiration, her hair was tousled, many strands of it held against her cheeks from the sweat. Her shirt and skirt carried several rips and tears, but on the whole she looked all right and relatively uninjured. He tried to smile as he answered.  
"I could be better."  
Jessica smiled back at him, trying to hide the sadness she felt for him. "You did pretty well back there."  
"You're the real hero, though. You managed to get it near those things. I'm just glad you didn't do what I did. I mean, the creature's skin was like concrete."  
"Jacob, what was that thing? Why did it look like a Sister?"  
Jacob thought for a moment. He wanted to know why the creature wore the clothes of a Sister. He also wanted to know why the monsters in the main hallway wore the school uniforms. Furthermore, what was the deal with the religious seal doing on the wall close to such an ominous phrase? Figuring out the Sister was the least of their problems, Jacob thought.  
"I don't know, Jessica. I've never seen that in my nightmares. What we've both have been through right now is more than I have ever seen. I've never seen the seal here, either." "What could that mean?" Jessica asked. "Why would the seal be here? It could be a positive thing, but then I remember the phrase about the 'Crimson One.' I don't know about you, but the phrase really didn't comfort me." "Me neither. Perhaps...perhaps is has something to do with the group Alexander told me about. He said that before the excommunication, the extremists were still part of the group and brainwashing people in its name." Jessica furrowed her brow in thought. After a moment, she spoke up. "Maybe we are reliving the past." Jacob looked at her quietly, taking in this thought. "How can you figure that?" he said finally. "Well, I don't know. But there has to be some sort of connection between the terrible creatures here and the presence of the seal. It's possible that we could have been brought back to the time when the extremists were around."  
Jacob shrugged his shoulders, it seemed pretty farfetched that they could be in the past. But then again, with what he has seen and experienced with the sirens, the Pyramid Head, the Sister...who's to say Jessica did not have a point? Perhaps they could be in the past, yet was Hope House this dirty before? He looked up into Jessica and saw a flicker of sadness.  
"What is it?"  
"You don't believe me, do you, Jacob?"  
"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that I wish there was a concrete answer. One that could lead us away from here.'  
She nodded her head, thick strands of her long hair falling over her face. Jacob watched as she conducted her little ritual, grasping the hair in her hands and gently guiding it to the back of her ear, tucking it into place. She ran her hands over her face and looked at the small patches of dirt and sweat that came off her cheeks and into her hands. She saw Jacob watching her and smiled, wiping her face with her torn sleeve. He enjoyed watching her and seeing her smile because watching her brought him calm. Jessica was the only source of hope Jacob believed in because he felt so strongly for her and wanted to keep her safe. Maybe she was brought here with him for a reason? Maybe together, they could find a way out. If they did, he would most definitely run away from Hope House and take her with him.  
"What is it?" Jessica spoke, halting Jacob's thoughts.  
"Nothing. I'm...I'm just glad you're safe."  
She smiled at him. "I have you to thank for that, hero."  
"Nah, you're the real hero. You showed that monster what for."  
Jessica let out a quiet laugh as Jacob mimed chopping movements with his hand. She moved closer to him and pressed her body against his chest, wrapping his arms around his neck. She buried her face against his right shoulder and spoke to him. "Thank you for protecting me, Jacob."  
"I'll always protect you. You know, I was thinking that maybe you were brought here with me for a reason."  
"How so?"  
"I don't know...but I feel better with you here. In my nightmares, I felt so hopeless, I always thought I would end up dead if I didn't wake up. I couldn't handle what I saw happen to Will in my nightmare. If I didn't come too, I felt that I would surely die and never see you again."  
Jessica pressed against him tighter as Jacob wrapped his good arm around her.  
"I think," Jacob continued, "that together, we can make it. With us looking out for one another, me may be able to beat this place."  
Jessica lifted herself up from Jacob's body. She smiled at him tenderly, feeling happy even in this dark place. Jacob felt happy as well, their collective emotions bringing them respite from the uneasiness the environment created. Jacob watched as Jessica slowly moved closer to him, her eyes half closed. Jacob felt his own eyes shut and waited for things to happen, to feel the tender kiss from Jessica's soft, pink lips. Jacob felt a little awkward when things didn't happen for awhile, perhaps he was so caught up in the moment that a simple wait felt like an eternity. He was curious with the sight in front of him when he opened his eyes. He saw Jessica's eyes wide open and wet, her lips trembling. She pushed herself away from Jacob and scurried on the couch so much that she had fallen off, hitting the hardwood floor. She tried to push herself further away from him, letting out small cries. Her eyes were looking at something just above Jacob's head. Quickly turning around, Jacob discovered what had caused Jessica to act so strangely. Standing silently behind him was Pyramid Head. The door into the lounge was open and the creature was standing directly in front of the couch, looking at the student's back. Jacob froze at the sight, trying to take in the horrible monster that towered over him, a large pike held in both hands.  
"Why didn't I hear you—"Before he could finish speaking, a field of bright white stars entered his blurring vision. He was caught off guard by the sharp sound brought on by the butt of the pick smashing against the back of his skull. He fell face first onto the hardwood floor, his good hand gripping his head. The stars and the blurring made things impossible to see, a loud ringing forming in his ears. He felt himself frozen on the floor, his head resting in at an angel enough to watch as Pyramid Head slowly made his way towards the girl. He saw her mouth open and shut rapidly, but couldn't hear what she could be saying because of the ringing flooding his ears. He was uncertain, but he assumed she was screaming. He tried to move toward her, but the blow to his head made him feel weak, his vision becoming more and more difficult. Before he blacked out, the last thing he saw was Pyramid Head grip Jessica's hair and slowly drag her out of the room. 


	11. Chapter 10

Finally, here is chapt. 10. This will probably meet some heavy changes (grammar and such). I just wanted to give you a taste of what I wanted to do. Comments and criticisms welcome/needed. Thanks everyone.

==================================================

-Chapter 10-

-Joining the Fold-

Jacob's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry. He tried to move, but he felt a sharp pain strike his brain as he tried to lift his head from the hard floor, causing him to wince and groan softly. He weakly brought his hand up and tenderly rubbed where he felt the source of the pain. His fingers slid across a small bump and felt a strange coolness. Moving his hands in front of his eyes, his furrowed his brow as he examined the small patches of blood on his fingertips. He built up what little strength he had and lifted his body up from the floor, using his good arm. After several minutes of slowly maneuvering himself so that he was resting on the foot of the couch, he slowly turned his head around, looking about the room. It was still the same, dark messy lounge he came in after Jessica pulled him out of the room with the creature dressed as a Sister.

"Jessica?" he whispered coarsely. "Jessica, are you here?"

He grew worried when he did not get a response. It was then he recalled the last few moments before he blacked out. He was sitting on the couch when Jessica panicked. He looked behind him he saw the towering beast, Pyramid Head. Before he could react, the monster smashed the end of his steel pike against the back of his, causing him to fall face first on the floor. Before his vision went black, he watched in horror as Pyramid Head grabbed Jessica and pulled her out of the room. He got up to his feet, his head spinning from the shock his body experienced as he got up too fast. The room was slowly spinning and Jacob took a firm hold of the couch before he could fall. When the room steadied, he slowly made his way through the open door leading out to the hallway. His right leg felt a bit sore, but Jacob just dragged it as he walked, his shoes making soft scraping noises. His right arm hung lifeless at his side, the fabric covering sticky with a mixture of his own blood and the black fluid from the Sister creature.

The walk down the halls was uneventful, which greatly bothered Jacob. Normally he would expect to hear the sounds of monsters, but everything was eerily quiet. Jacob felt himself growing weak from the walking and leaned his body against the left-hand wall of the hallway. He felt compelled to stop several times to catch his breath, but his desire to find Jessica and get her out of this place took precedence over his own personal well being. Thus, Jacob steeled himself and continued to walk down the hallway.

After walking for what felt like a half an hour, Jacob had noticed that the hallway seemed to be rather unnaturally long. He was forced to take several corners, but none that he could ever remember taking at the original Hope House. Although he was concerned, another part of him wasn't surprised at all. _Hell_, he thought, _if monsters are here, why should I be surprised?_ As he continued walking, Jacob's ears picked up a very faint droning sound. Straining his ears, he tried to make out where and what the sound was. Looking in front of him, he noticed that he was standing at the very beginning of a very long hall. He couldn't be sure in the dim light, but he could see two large double doors. As he made his way towards the door, he could tell that the droning was getting louder.

When Jacob finally reached the large doors, he noticed strange markings on the dark wood, markings he had never really seen before. What appeared to be some sort of lettering had been carved into the surface in a language unknown to him. Two things that peaked his curiosity about the strange door were the symbol for Hope House's religion placed at the very center of the door and that the markings were not written in a scratched script similar to the words found in the lounge. It was as if the markings were originally part of the door, fashioned from fresh wood. The symbol and markings had no particular color and blended in with the dark color scheme of the door. It could have been easily missed if the hall was any darker. Leaning his head close to the doors, Jacob heard the droning noise much clearer and discovered that the sounds were actually low, guttural chants. The same kind of chanting he heard at Rosewater.

Jacob frantically prodded the door, trying to find a way to get it open. He pressed his good hand against the smooth wood, but he could not feel any type of doorknob or latching system. He wanted to slam his fist against the large doors but did not want to attract the attention of those behind it, at least not yet. He reexamined the door, his eyes scanning every mark on the door, every curve of the circular symbol. It was then he recalled what was written on the wall of the lounge, a phrase that sounded like something out of a prayer book. Straining to remember exactly what the phrase said, he whispered the only parts he could really remember, _I am the Crimson One. Believers hearken to me!_

With a soft rumbling noise, the two large wooden doors slowly opened outward, revealing a room that was bathed in darkness. Considering the amount of light that was in the hallway, looking into the new room was like staring at black ink. Although he could not see anything, the chanting had grown louder. Jacob extended his good arm in front of him as he walked towards the dark, moving his hand in all directions, trying to keep himself from hitting walls or tripping over objects. He felt the cool darkness envelop him, sending chills through his spine. After spending a few moments in the darkened area, Jacob's heart stopped as he heard the soft rumbling of the wooden doors beginning to close. Before he could limp his way out of the area, the doors firmly closed, leaving Jacob to panic and unable to get his bearings. He moved slowly, swimming in the darkened abyss that engulfed him.

Suddenly, a small patch of light came from above and painted a white circle on what looked like wooden flooring. A scratchy design appeared within the spotlight, but from where he was, Jacob couldn't make it out. Moving a bit to his left, he felt his body come into contact with a solid object. His hand frantically felt the obstruction, trying to deduce what it could be. Underneath his palm, he felt the warm dryness of old wood, his hands giving him an image of an old wooden railing. Moving away from the railing, Jacob's hand fished around for something else to feel. His hand pressed against a solid wall of the same type of wood and when he moved his palm down, the object immediately formed a right angle. As he continued to feel the object, Jacob made a sudden realization of where he might be. _The Assembly Hall_, he said to himself.

At that moment, the room was bathed in a dark red light. Jacob's vision blurred for several seconds as they adjusted themselves to the new light that caused the blackness to withdraw. Looking about him, there was no room for doubt in Jacob's mind, he was in the Assembly Hall. This was the hall in which Jacob had to go to before classes, where Alexander and the rest of the faculty would announce news and offer group prayers. While similar in construction, the wooden seats lining the walls and the raised platform at the very end of the hall which stood directly in front of an ornate stained glass window, this Assembly Hall was quite different. The room was much like the rest of the Alternate Hope House, dilapidated and covered with grime, rust and blood, but the physical nature of the Hall didn't bother him. What bothered him was a terrible sense that he shouldn't be here, the he should not stay a second longer. His first instinct was to run away, run as far and as fast as he could. But before he could turn away, Jacob saw robed figure emerge from the large double doors at the back end of the Hall. He quickly threw himself within the leg space in the wooden seats and waited for the figures to walk past. Although he couldn't see them up close, he could hear the low, guttural chanting escape from beneath the hoods. When he felt that the figures were at the other end of the hall, Jacob peeked out over the wooden railing and watched as about seven tall figures formed a semi circle around the spotlight. The figure in the center of the group raised both hands and all chanting ceased. In a voice somewhat familiar to him, words filled the once quiet hall.

"Oh, God, we stand before you in order to bring you another soul to our cause. In all Her infinite wisdom, She has promised us Paradise. A place away from all the evils the world of Man has brought unto Her most loyal servants."

"May She grant us peace and respite from the evils of Man," the remaining figures spoke in unison.

The leader of the robed figures spoke again. "As we have discovered, pure faith hasn't been enough. Each of us has prove our faith to Her, but the world grows weak and weakness breeds wickedness."

The figures said again, "May She grant us peace and respite from the evils of Man."

"We have decided that the only way to bring Paradise is to produce more souls for our God. By providing her with loyal followers, we hope she will see fit to rid this world of evil and bring us Paradise. Hear us, O God, we have brought you a new soul for you to claim as your own. With her given to you, our faith grows stronger, our need for Paradise grows stronger."

Jacob whipped his head away from the robed group when he heard the wooden doors open once again. The sound of metal slowly scraping against the wooden floor filled his ears as he watched Pyramid Head enter the Hall, pulling a large rusty cage behind him. He ducked down behind the railing until Pyramid Head passed by and darted back up and looked into the cage. He felt his heart drop into his stomach, the blood drain from his face. The body in the cage was Jessica. His eyes followed the cage as Pyramid Head dragged it onto the stage, waiting as one of the figures retrieved the steel hook that held Will's cage. He felt helpless, he didn't know what to do except watch as Pyramid Head lifted the cage onto the hook. Jessica's long dark hair gently touched the wooden floor, the tips brushing against it as the cage swung slightly.

Jessica's eyes slowly fluttered open. She felt herself hanging by her feet but was completely lost in her surroundings and felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. She tried to move her arms, but discovered that they were bound by metal. She tilted her head upward and saw a scratchy version of the Hope House seal. She looked to her left and spotted several robed figures with their hoods upon. Looking in the opposite direction, she saw more figures, all just standing in front of her silently. She was covered by a white light that seemed to come from the ceiling, but when Jessica moved her head, she couldn't find the source. She tried to take in the area, but the brightness of the light surrounding her didn't allow it. She looked once again to the figures, panic rising within her.

"What's going on?" She said, in a shaky voice. "Why am I in a cage? Who are you?"

The leader of the figures stepped forward and kneeled before her. A hand extended from the robe and gently pressed itself against her cheek. Jessica figured it to belong to a man, since it felt slightly rough. Even though the figure was human, it did little to sedate her fear. "Who are you? What are you doing to me?" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Quiet, child," the figure spoke. "All will become clear." The figure stood up and signaled to another person out of Jessica's view. She watched as the robed figure stepped behind the group and come back gripping a large pike in both hands. Jessica's head moved towards the low thumping sounds of boots hitting the wooden floor, her eyes widening as the figure came into view. It was the same monster that knocked Jacob out and dragged her away. The image of the events flashed in her head.

After it attacked Jacob, the monster with the pyramid shaped helmet took her by her long hair and pulled her out of the room while she screamed incessantly. Once they were out of the room, the monster painfully gripped Jessica by the waist and pulled her up onto a bloody stretcher. Jessica tried to struggle as the monster fastened various belts to her limbs and torso. As Pyramid Head gently rolled her down the hall, Jessica couldn't stop screaming and struggling. Her movements were frantic, but this didn't deter the creature from stopping. A few moments later, the gurney stopped in front of a metal door. When Pyramid Head opened the metal door, he gripped the foot of the gurney and pulled it into the room. Jessica tried to kick at its hands, but the monster seemed unaffected by it. All of her screaming and struggling ceased once she fully entered the room.

The smells of rotting bodies filled her nose and brought waves of nausea, the shock of the smell causing her to throw up over the side of her gurney. The room looked like some sort of evil morgue. The tile walls were covered in blood and other dark patches. Lined up against the wall were several rusty cages, while the opposite wall held various cutting instruments, including the largest knife Jessica had ever seen. The room was lit by a hanging red light which moved from the breeze created from a large industrial fan. Jessica watched sickly as Pyramid Head gripped one of the cages from the wall and placed it onto the gurney. He meticulously fastened her arms and legs with no fuss, as Jessica was too frightened to struggle. Pyramid Head took one of the metal bars in his hands and pulled it away from the gurney. With no obvious concern, the cage dropped away from the gurney and hit the floor with such force, the back of Jessica's head hit the hard floor and fell into unconsciousness.

Now, the girl was wide awake, staring at the terrifying creature as it took the long pike from the robed figure. Her eyes followed the sharp tip of the metal object and watched as Pyramid Head move to a position behind her. All Jessica could do at this point was cry, tears pouring from her eyes and onto her hanging hair. She weakly struggled against her bonds as Pyramid Head aimed the sharp end of the pike at Jessica's back.

Regardless that he had no idea of what do, Jacob got up from his hiding place and rushed for the stage. He couldn't stand to see Jessica go through what Will did, mainly because he would lose her forever. He moved as fast as his wounds would allow and before he got within a few feet of the stage when he shouted out to the robed figures.

"Stop this right now!" The robed figures turned to face the intruder. Pyramid Head stood halfway in the motion of stabbing Jessica, who recognized Jacob and cried out to him, her please tearing him apart.

"We have an interloper," one of the figures said to the leader of the group who looked directly at the young student. The area was quiet except for Jessica's cries. Jacob stood in a defiant manner facing the group, making himself look like he was capable for an all out fight. He watched the leader, waiting for the first move to be made. When several minutes passed, the leader threw his head back and laughed. The full, boisturous noise was carried throughout the entire hall, filling every space and echoed deeply into Jacob's ears. When the leader regained himself, he simply said, "Not yet, my boy." He extended his right hand and made a quick gesture to Pyramid Head who raised his pike again. Jacob shouted out again while Jessica wailed. With a loud, sickening noise, Pyramid Head drove the pike through the girl's body, the sharp end sticking out from the center of her chest. Jessica's cries stopped dead as blood began to pour from the wound, dripping to the floor, covering most of her face and dampening her hair. Jacob couldn't see the pike pierce through Jessica's body because the figures were obstructing the view, but the sound of it was enough to fall to his knees. The figures withdrew one by one, chanting the same indistinct words Jacob heard when they first arrived in the Assembly Hall. As the drew away from their positions, the sad and terrible state of Jessica was revealed. Her lifeless body hung from the cage that was swinging gently, a wide open wound slowly spewing blood all over her skin, her eyes wide open from shock. He limped over to the cage and examined it, trying to find the latch for each bond. Working gently and carefully, he brought Jessica down from her prison and held her in his arms, her blood spilling all over his arms and hands. He gently moved his palm across her eyes to close them and tried to wipe the red fluid from her face with his sleeve. Jacob rocked Jessica's body tenderly, gripping one of her hands tightly. He nuzzled his face in her hair, feeling patches of warm blood run against his face. He couldn't cry, the shock of losing the one thing that meant something to him was too much to realize. What troubled him the most was that if things worked the same way it did with Will, Jessica wouldn't be dead, but everything that made Jessica Jessica would be gone forever. As he sat with her body, his ears picked up the familiar sound of sirens wailing. They picked up in volume and were soon blasting in Jacob's ears. He closed his eyes and buried his face against Jessica's hair preparing for what waited for him on the other side.


	12. Chapter 11

-Chapter 11-

-A Pair of Soulless Eyes-

Jacob sat quietly on his the bed in his room. He watched as the warm breeze caused the white curtains to dance in the air, the sun peeking through trees and forming irregular shadows on the clean white walls. His feet were rooted on the cold tile floor, his hands resting softly on his clean, black plants and his right arm in a cloth sling. Looking at his room was enough to see the stark contrast between this world and the Alternate world he had arrived from a few hours ago. After the sirens stopped, Jacob had opened his eyes and found himself in the Assembly Hall, the walls and floors spotless. Looking down at the girl in his arms, Jessica appeared normal. The gaping hole on her chest was gone, her face and hair clean. Jacob looked at himself and noticed he was spotless as well. Apart from his arm still being sore, it was as if the events before had never happened. The area around them was bathed in warm light, but a circle of multicolored light was focused on the two students as the sunlight of the new morning passed through the stained glass window. Jacob just sat there holding Jessica in his arms as a Sister, who was getting the Hall ready for the Opening Prayer, entered the Hall and stumbled upon the two students. She had let fly a series of questions to Jacob, what were they doing there, were they alright, and how did they get into the locked Hall. Jacob thought for a moment before answering. Should he tell her what he experienced? _Sure, there's a good idea, _he thought. _Yes, Sister, Jessica and I were taken to an alternate Hope House where we saw a monster that looked like a Sister and Jessica here was run through with a pike by a guy with a pyramid helmet. She'd buy that, I'll bet._ When he looked back at the waiting Sister, he decided it better to make up some lame story about the two of them sneaking out afterwards, he tripping down a staircase and Jessica falling asleep. He wasn't even sure that the story would fly, but the Sisters always paid strict attention to injuries and did what they could to prevent students from hurting themselves. While Jacob was directed to the infirmary, the Sister stayed back with Jessica to make sure if she was okay.

It had been several hours since his return from the nurse in the infirmary who simply gave Jacob the sling and painkiller, which was a strange, white colored fluid and had a bizarre after taste. He knew what he had to do, what he wanted to do but didn't wish to face the reality of the new Jessica. Because the event he witnessed was exactly the same as he saw the one Will go through at Rosewater, then she is lost, a fact Jacob didn't want to believe. He looked at the small clock on the wall, noticing that it was time for the first break from classes. He got up from his bed, carefully slipped into a black shirt and walked out of his room. He casually made his way from the Hope House dormitories, dodging students who kept asking about his arm. Jacob walked through several familiar hallways and even stopped briefly when he walked passed the faculty lounge, the sounds of talking and life occupying the space that was once dark, messy and ugly. He passed through the main lobby of Hope House, again noticing the cleanliness of the area before walking outside.

The warm air caressed his tired face and hair, the brightness of the sun causing him to squint as his eyes tried to get used to the shift from inside to outside. He watched students playing, sitting and eating and wondered, after all he had seen, how many of them were taken by that Pyramid Head creature. The words of Alexander went through his mind over and over, that the group who was responsible for this was in the past. But again, considering what he saw and how close he was to the latest victim, he believed that some of them were still around. For an instant, he wanted to go to Alexander and ask him about this, but considering the monster dressed as a Sister, he didn't want to take any chances, especially since the seal for Hope House was right below the cage Jessica was in when he took her down.

Jacob continued to look around the outside area of Hope House trying to find Jessica. When his gaze fell upon the oak tree they had shared once before, he spotted a woman leaning against the wood, her back facing him. His mouth went dry as he approached her, he didn't want to deal with this, but a part of him forced him to see her. When he fell under the shade of the tree and stood several feet from the girl, Jacob cleared his throat.

"Jessica?"

The girl's head turned at the calling of her name, she twisted her body around to face Jacob and gave him a warm, heartfelt smile. "Jacob," her voice was light, the tone sounding a bit listless. Just like Will's. "How are you, this marvelous afternoon? Look at this beautiful day God has given us. We should offer Her deep prayers of thanks." Jacob felt his stomach turn as he watched the young girl fall to her knees and clasp her hands together, her lips moving quickly in silent prayer. When she was done, her eyes opened and gave Jacob another smile. She picked up a few small yellow flowers and played around with them. Taking more into her hands, she began to fashion a small crown of marigolds. Judging by the size of her smile, she was enjoying herself immensely. Jacob sat on the grass before Jessica, watching the girl fashion her crown. She looked as good as before, Her long brown hair rested over her shoulder while her soft hands skillfully weaving the stems of the flowers to her will.

"Jessica?" Jacob asked, his voice soft.

"Yes, Jacob?" Jessica smiled at him. Jacob felt sad as he looked into those pale, empty eyes he had seen once before.

"Do you remember the monsters?"

Jessica looked at him curiously. "What monsters, Jacob?"

"The monsters we saw. They wore school uniforms. We were attacked by a Sister and a creature with a pyramid shaped helmet. It hurt you. It stabbed you."

Jessica gave him a look of deep concern. "Jacob, I don't know what you are talking about. There are no monsters here. This is the safest place in the world for us. Evil exists outside the walls, not within. We are safe from the corruption and weakness of the world."

"Jessica, you've never been this way. What happened to you? We used to be alike. We didn't care about this religious nonsense."

Jacob wished he hadn't said that after seeing the look Jessica gave him. Her eyes, stile pale, showed fire for his words. "How dare you call it nonsense! Maybe you think it's silly, but I see what the world for what it really is! It's an evil place filled with weak, evil people. Don't you remember how your parents died? From a wicked man! He was weak so he drank. His weakness took away your parents. You of all people should realize how ugly this world is. Our safety truly depends on how much She loves us, how much She cares for us. She has given us this place until we are led to Paradise. People who think like you will be lost, doomed to suffer a life full of pain and misery." The marigold crown she was creating was crushed from the tight grip of her hands while she let loose on Jacob. He merely sat there quietly, taking in the truth that Jessica was well and truly gone. Jessica quickly got up and started to walk away. Before she left for Hope House, she turned to him. "You'd better think differently, Jacob," she said, her voice still a bit hard. "Holy places such as this have no room for unbelievers such as you. You'd should start paying attention and beg hard that She forgives your ill words." With those words, she threw her crown on the grass and stormed off. Watching her move towards the entrance of Hope House, he saw Jessica meet up with other classmates, including Will, which brought her to smiles and cheer. He watched as she pointed to him and turned away when all eyes were looking at him. Jacob leaned against the tree and ignored the onlookers, trying to figure out his next course of action. With Jessica gone, there was really no reason for him to be here. He had nothing left. While nursing his sore arm, Jacob decided to leave Hope House, to leave this horrible place far behind and never look back. He got up from the tree and made his way back towards the school. When he reached the front steps, he was greeted by Father Alexander.

"Good afternoon, my son." He said with a cheery voice.

"Hello, Father." Jacob didn't look at the man when he returned the greeting.

"How's your arm, son?"

"It'll be fine. Just a little sore."

"One should always be careful of where they go." He smiled at Jacob in a friendly manner.

"I guess so, Father." They both stood on the steps in silence. Alexander placed his arms behind his backed and admired the afternoon climate. "Where are you off to now, Jacob?"

"I'm going to head back to my room. I'll go find my teachers and see about the work I missed earlier today."

"Ah, very good. I'm glad you've decided not to shirk your studies. They are important to you. 'A weak mind is the demon's paradise' as they say, correct?"

Jacob nodded and excused himself. He moved past Alexander, just wanting to get away from him. Before he entered the doors, he heard Alexander say, "Jessica seems to be in high spirits today. Everyone does. Must be this wonderful weather."

Jacob looked back at the smiling Father. "Must be, sir," he replied before moving through the Hope House doors.


	13. Chapter 12

One more chapter to go! As usual, WIP. Tried to do some stealth stuff in the first half of this chapter. Hope it doesn't come off as ridiculous

=====================================

-Chapter 12-

-No Escape-

Jacob awoke late into the night, his sleep undisturbed from the terrors the nightmares brought to him. He found it a bit strange, although welcome, that the nightmares didn't come to him this night and left him to face the day as a tired, emotional wreck. His room was dark and quiet, save for the incessant ticking of the clock on the far wall. He couldn't tell for sure, but judging by the hands, it must have been around two in the morning. Quickly jumping out of his bed, he threw on a pair of dark pants and a black sweater he had laid out on his desk earlier. After getting dressed, Jacob knelt before his bed and extended his arm under it, trying to feel for his duffel bag. When his fingertips felt the familiar fabric, he quickly pulled it out from the bed and started throwing several sets of clothes into the bag along with a flashlight, bottles of water and snack food he managed to take from the cafeteria. He didn't expect to be on the road for too long, but it felt good to be somewhat prepared. When his duffel bag was full, he slipped his arm through one of the handles and swung the object behind his back, slipping his sock covered feet into his sneakers. He took a last look around his room and made his way to the door.

Twisting the knob gently, he opened the door ajar and peered through the crack to scout the hallway. Normally Sisters would be moving too and from different hallways to make sure no one was out of their rooms after curfew and tonight was no different. He spotted several Sisters walking past his door, some walking by themselves, other traveling and chatting in pairs. This particular floor of the dorms was constructed into a giant "H" design, rooms lined both sides of the area and were connected by a small hall at the far end of the opposite hall was the exit Jacob needed to go through. When he detected no other Sisters near his room, Jacob quickly slipped through the door and gently closed it behind him, trying his best to not make any sounds. He tiptoed towards the connector, and threw his back to the wall. Peering slightly over the corner, Jacob spotted two Sisters talking amongst themselves in front of the exit. Scanning the area, Jacob tried to figure a way to get the Sisters away from the door and allow him to exit unnoticed. He reached into his bag and pulled out a water bottle and weighed it in his right hand, his right arm feeling a bit sore but noticeably better than before. Looking towards the other end of the hall, Jacob threw the bottle towards the far end. The bottle slammed against the water and Jacob heard the Sisters let out a soft, startled cry. From his position, he watched as the two women began making their way towards the source of the noise. Hiding around the corner of the opposite hallway, Jacob watched the Sisters go by. Shifting his body into a low position, he hurried through the connector, down the hallway and to the exit. He carefully but quickly opened the door and slipped through, watching the women examine the water bottle before firmly shutting the door.

Jacob crouched in the central hall on the third floor, lining the walls were doors leading to various classrooms and utility closets. Towards the middle of the hall was the main staircase leading to the Assembly Hall, lobby and cafeteria. Jacob strained his ears but couldn't hear any voices from Sisters and crept passed the central stairs and towards the fire escape. Turning the steel handle, he made his way through the door and descended the three flights of stairs. He carefully opened the door when he reached the first floor, peering through the small opening he created. The lobby was quiet, a single Sister sat at the reception desk busying herself with some manner of work. He crouched down for a minute to figure what to do. The problem was that while the exit was right next to the reception desk, the door to the fire escape was on the farthest side of the square shaped lobby. While he sat silently in thought, he saw another Sister enter the lobby and make her way to the busy Sister. The two huddled together close and started talking, although he couldn't make out the words, Jacob assumed they were having a gossiping session, as the two women would let out high pitched giggles from time to time. Jacob was preparing to head back up the stairs and find another way out when both Sisters moved away from the reception desk and headed through the door that Jacob and Jessica went through in Alternate Hope House. Hoping that the two women were going to he lounge, Jacob did one more look around the empty lobby and darted from the fire escape and reached the large double doors. Looking over his shoulder briefly, he twisted one of the spherical doorknobs and ran out the door.

Jacob stood on the central cobblestone walkway that led to a winding driveway which ultimately led to the city streets. The night air was a bit cold, barely visible clouds of mist shot from his mouth with each breath. He turned around and took a long look at Hope House. He knew he had to leave since there was nothing for him there. Not only was Jessica gone forever, but he had developed a bad feeling about those who ran the orphanage. Leaving was the best thing for him even though he had no idea of what to do once he made it back into town. Pulling his duffel bag closer to him, Jacob thrust his free hand into a pocket and made his way towards the large iron gates. He scanned these gates earlier yesterday and figured it would be no problem scaling it. Even though the gates had several large pikes atop the ironwork, they were spread far enough apart for him to squeeze through relatively unharmed. When he reached the gate, he stopped for several moments and examined the blockade, trying to figure the best places to ascend. Before he could make his move however, the siren began to wail. Jacob dropped his head, feeling as if his stomach sank to his feet. The siren grew louder and more intense, but this time Jacob didn't fall to his knees, crying. He half expected something like this would happen and tried to prepare himself. He was no longer going to give into the sinister force behind Hope House. He was tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of all the pain and darkness. If Jacob was going to get away, this was one hurdle he must deal with.

Jacob was met with surprise when he managed to keep himself conscious while the sirens sang their terrible wailing. Normally he would pass out and wake up in the alternate world, but staying awake gave him the opportunity to see the world around him physically shift. The world around him shifted from normal to alternate several times, as if the two worlds were doing battle with one another. In a space of several seconds, Hope House would be a normal looking place one moment then shift to a dirty, dilapidated building. The grass around him would go from being a cool, healthy green to a dry brown, various school equipment spread out all over the area. After about ten minutes, the sirens stopped wailing and the shifting stopped. Jacob faced the dark, nightmarish world filled with blood and rust. He looked at the gate behind him and found it covered with barbed wire and snake like ironwork that seemed impossible for any man to make.

With nowhere to go, Jacob made his way back up the cobblestone path, which was in an obvious state of disrepair, causing him to trip several times. Jacob reached the large entrance doors and noticed that, unlike his previous visit, the doors looked perfectly normal. When he turned the doorknob and pushed the door, he felt no resistance. Looking into the lobby, however, things were similar. The walls and floor were covered with blood and grime, the bodies monsters in school uniforms littered the corners. The only thing vaguely different was the use of the religious seal in the center of the room. What was even more surprising was the hooded figure standing on it.

Jacob made his way into the lobby, the doors closing by themselves, and faced the robed figure. He dropped his duffel bag to his feet and waited for the figure to speak. The robed figure placed his arms behind his back.

"Where were you off to this night, Jacob?" the figure said behind his hood.

"How do you know me? Who are you?"

"Oh, I know many things. It's my business to know about the welfare of everyone here. Besides, you should have some idea of who I am."

"I think I have an idea."

Laughter escaped from within the dark hood. The figure lifted his arms towards the hood, his hands gripping the fabric and gently pulling it away, revealing the familiar face.

"Hello, Father Alexander." Jacob said, anger swelling inside of him. Anger that this was the man responsible for taking Jessica away from him along with everyone else at Hope House.

"Good evening, Jacob. You weren't planning on leaving us were you?"

"Actually, I was. I don't think this place is for me."

"Oh, come now, Jacob. You can't leave. Think of how terrible it is out there."

"Can't be nearly as bad as it is here, Alexander."

The older man smirked. He casually walked along the lobby, stepping over the bodies of monsters. Jacob followed after him, keeping a safe distance away.

"I guess this is more than a nightmare. More than just a recollection of past events."

"You guess right, my son," Alexander spoke, continuing his walk. He stopped to admire one of the hanging monsters similar to those Jacob saw in the lounge.

"Aren't you going to explain yourself, Alexander?"

"Why should I? I've done nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong! Look at this place! What the hell is going on here? Why did you take Jessica!"

The man turned towards Jacob and smiled. "Such things are best left to the Confession, my son. And it looks like it's just about time for yours." The older man made a hand signal and Jacob heard a faint growling behind him. Spinning on his heels he was once again confronted by Pyramid Head. His fight response went into overload and he prepared himself to do battle with the monster. Before he could do anything, he heard Alexander say from across the room, "It's best that you don't struggle, my son. You've run into him several times and believe me, he isn't to thrilled about you living through so many confrontations." As much as he didn't want to admit it, Alexander had a point. This thing looked as if he wanted to rip him apart limb by limb.

Satisfied, Alexander opened the door that lead to the lounge hallway and motioned for Jacob to walk through it. He hesitated briefly but was shoved forward by Pyramid Head. He entered the door with Alexander at his side and the monster behind them. After walking for several minutes, Jacob spoke up.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the chapel, my son. It's time for your Confession."


	14. Chapter 13

Sorry, everyone. I lied. Last chapter after this one. I just felt like splitting this up.

==================================

-Chapter 13-

-Confessional-

The chapel was on the farthest side of Hope House. It was a large, square-shaped room with ten wooden pews on each side of the room. The pews were placed directly in the middle of the room, with pillars and archways standing to at the opposite ends of the wooden seats. The front of the chapel was slightly raised and home to a large a wooden altar covered with candles and a thick black book. Behind the altar was a majestic wooden sculpture of gothic design and a large stained glassed window displaying the same woman found in the window of the Assembly Hall. The wall space was shared by several paintings depicting moments in the existence of God, such as man and woman offering up the serpent and reeds, along with several wooden booths that acted as confessionals. It was interesting to Jacob that this was the one room not befouled the same way the rest of the building was. Instead of dirty walls and floors, everything was rather clean.

Jacob found himself in one of the confessionals with nothing to do but wait. He was thrown into the confined space by Pyramid Head and heard the sound of a latch being put into place. Jacob laughed bitterly at the thought of forced confessionals. He also wondered if Jessica had to come here. The confessional was plain and did not contain any type of decoration. He sat on a red padded seat and next to his feet sat a smaller padded cushion to be used when the confessor had to kneel and pray. Typically, confessors should have prayed the second they got into the booth, but Jacob would not give Alexander the satisfaction of doing so. He continued to wait in silence, unable to understand what, if anything, was going on outside the booth. Suddenly, the sound of wood sliding filled the confession booth and Jacob saw a hidden panel open up just to the left of him, revealing a patterned screen. Jacob could see the profile of an older man, who he figured to be Alexander.

"Well, here we are, my son," Alexander said, his voice gentle and voice. "What do you wish to confess?"

"I should be asking you that question, Alexander."

The man laughed softly. "Yes, I guess that's fair. You've never taken what we've given you seriously. I doubt you don't even know the process of confession."

"Guess I fell asleep during that lesson." Jacob couldn't see his face, but with the sudden silence, he assumed Alexander wasn't too pleased.

"All right, Jacob. I'll be your confessor. It won't matter much, but I will answer you honestly."

Jacob leaned forward, gripping both of his hands. He tried to formulate all the questions swirling around his brain.

"Okay. First of all, where are we?"

"We are in Hope House, my son."

"But this is nothing like Hope House. This place reeks of evil. The walls...I've never seen such horrifying combinations of blood and rust. And the students! Why do they look like that!"

"Ah, Jacob. What you see is what I and all the Sisters and Fathers see every waking moment. This is how ugly and terrible the real world is to us. The real world festers with evil by the weaknesses of man."

"Why do you change Hope House like this?"

"That is a rare power only given to a small few. I was graced with the ability with the intent of showing students what the real world is like in order for bend them to God's grace."

"You're forcing the orphans to accept your religion?"

"Of course, my son. It's the only way we can speed up the promise of Paradise. Once many souls understand what reality is, they will express honest and fervent devotion to God. This will show her how strong our need for Paradise is."

"Don't you see anything remotely wrong with that? You're taking innocent children away and forcing them to your will."

"Why should it be wrong? Our goal is to obtain Paradise, a place where all pain, sadness, death, and weakness do not exist. We don't worry about any outside influences impeding our progress. One of the benefits of running a religious orphanage is that these kids have no familial ties. With a few exceptions, the children are brought here and then forgotten."

"What are the exceptions?" Jacob asked, shocked at Alexander's admission.

"Some of the children here, such as Will, have parents who are high members within our Order. They only wish to have their kids brought up with religious influence and to accept God at the right time. You saw Will's time, remember Jacob? At Rosewater? You also saw Jessica's time as well."

"Why was allowed to see that? Why did I pass out and awaken in this alternate reality?"

"Remember, Jacob. This IS reality. But getting to your question, we aren't really sure. It's somewhat an anomaly, really. Needless to say, I was rather surprised to see you at Rosewater. Yes, Jacob I did see you. Your curiosity got the better of you and you made yourself easy to spot. Normally, most children here have no idea what is going on and carry on with their lives. They only see things as we do when we bring them to the faith. Why were you taken to this place when Will and Jessica were taken? Why do your nightmares feature this place? My guess is that it has something to do with your indifference to our ways and instruction. I'm sorry, but your past experiences are unknown even to me, so I cannot truthfully answer that question."

Jacob sank into his seat, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the truths Alexander shared with him. He couldn't believe this place was just a storehouse for souls. That the Fathers and Sisters just bred the students into religious slaves. He couldn't believe that his man, a man he once looked up to was not only in on this evil plan, but was in charge of it.

"Why did you take Jessica?" Jacob said softly.

"It was her time. I apologize, that's a false answer, my son. The truth is that we had to speed up her ascension ahead of time."

"Why?"

"Well, it was because of you?"

"Me? What did I do?"

Alexander let out a long, aggravated sigh. "It was because you found out about that damn seal. The Sister was right to bring you to me. That is not meant for your eyes. I specifically told you not to go around telling anyone about it. What was the first thing you did? You told Jessica. That knowledge should have left your mind the minute you left my office. Needless to say I was very, very disappointed in you. I felt, that since you didn't bother with keeping things to yourself, we couldn't have another student learning of the seal and start asking questions. So, she was dealt with. Largely in part because of your actions.

"It struck me odd that you would let her know, considering how much you cared for her, how much you wanted to protect her. But you put her in danger, Jacob. You valiantly protected her from the Sister creature, you promised you would always protect her. You loved her, Jacob, I could always tell from the interactions between you and her. But then you fouled up by feeding her dangerous knowledge. She had to be taken care of and now she belongs to us. All because of you."

Jacob felt nothing short of terrible. He had doomed Jessica so long ago. He always wanted to look after her, but Alexander was right. It was his fault he lost her in such a terrible way. _Jessica_, he said to himself, _I'm so sorry. Forgive me._ When he pulled himself away from his thoughts, he had one final question to ask.

"What is with the seal? Why do you fear it?"

"I fear nothing, my son. My faith in God keeps me safe from any harm. As long as I put faith in Her, I am not afraid of anything. As for the seal, that is not for you to know. And with that, this Confession is over. It is your time Jacob. Prepare yourself and get ready to accept the glorious faith."


	15. Chapter 14

Well, here it is! The final chapter of Dark Ascension. My first draft is complete! All that's left now is to go back and fix stuff. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and comment on this little tale inspired by one of the coolest games around. ====================================

-Chapter 14-

-Dark Ascension-

The door to Jacob's confessional room flew open and Pyramid Head peered inside. He griped Jacob by his collar and threw him out of the room. Jacob tried to struggle, but the ferocious monster growled at him. Jacob looked at the nearby pews and spotted a hospital gurney splattered with dark fluid, which Jacob believed to be old blood. Before he could think about it further, the monster threw him on the gurney and strapped him down tight. He tried to struggle out of the bonds, but the creature had fastened him down very tightly. He could feel the skin on his wrists rubbing raw with the slightest movements. Pyramid Head roughly guided the gurney out of the chapel, not concerning himself that parts of Jacob's body hit walls or corners. Alexander stood at the Chapel exit and saw this display. It was then that he said, "Careful, now. We don't want to cause Jacob any unnecessary stress, now do we?" the monster's movements and actions lessened slightly, but not by a favorable degree. Alexander opened the door to the hallway and followed Pyramid Head as he pushed the gurney. Jacob took one brief look at the hallway and shut his eyes. Instead of seeing the walls in their previous state of ugliness, the walls took on a new form. Instead of dried blood and rust, the walls were now dripping with blood. Dark swirls circled unnaturally across the plaster. Some of the walls looked as if they were made of muscle, erratically pulsing and shaking. Along with the sounds of squeaking wheels and footsteps, terrible sounds filled his ears, such as a low, mechanical humming sound that come from a large industrial fan, gruesome squelching and squishing sounds as well as faint crying.

Keeping his eyes closed, Jacob called out. "What is this? Why do things look like this?!"

Alexander coolly replied, "Keep your eyes open, my son. This is to prepare you for what you will see soon enough. But keep in mind, this is nothing compared to what you will see later. Rest easy, son." Jacob began struggle in the gurney, but the effort was fruitless. He was strapped down too tightly, he could feel the tenderness of the skin along his wrists from his movements. He opened his eyes but had to close them soon after, the sight was too much for him. _What could be worse than this?_ He thought to himself.

After a long while, the gurney finally stopped. Alexander stood at Jacob's side and leaned close to him.

"This is where I leave you for now, Jacob. There are preparations I need to make as does Pyramid Head. He needs to get you ready. I will see you soon, my son.:

As Alexander walked away, Pyramid Head pulled the gurney into the dark red room. He looked over everything and noticed that the small room was filled with the steel cages used to hold Will, Jessica and the unknown number of Hope House victims. Pyramid Head roughly removed the bonds that held Jacob to the gurney and grabbed threw him to the floor. Jacob rubbed his bloody wrists and watched as the monster placed a cage on an elongated table at the opposite end of the room. After doing so, the monster turned back to Jacob, lifted him up to the table y his arm and placed him within the cage. He watched as the creature strapped his arms and legs through the holes in the cage, fastening them tightly. It was at this moment Jacob panicked, realizing what was going to happen to him, that he was going to get stabbed with the pike, and knowing how much Pyramid Head disliked him, it was going to be more than agonizing. As Jacob struggled, he felt one of his hands go free from a loose bond. He tried to lash at the monster, but his hand caught a sharp side of the pyramid helmet, cutting his palm, blood softly pouring from the open wound. At this gesture of resistance, Pyramid Head brought one of his gloved hands hard against the side of Jacob's facing. The blow sent stars flying around in front of Jacob's eyes. The pain shot through his jaw and up to his brain, causing him to yelp. As he tried to recover form the blow, he felt a warm fluid build up in his mouth, which had a faint, metallic taste. Jacob turned his head towards Pyramid Head and spit out the blood forming in his mouth, the red liquid splashing on the already blotchy butcher's apron.

With Jacob firmly trapped within the cage, Pyramid Head yanked it away from the table and sent it crashing to the floor. If Jacob hadn't had his head arched up from looking around the room, he surely felt that blow would have knocked him out cold, and he wanted to be awake and face what Alexander was preparing for him. The monster dragged him out of the room and down the hall. Within a matter of minutes, Jacob saw and recognized the large double doors which held the carved seal. He also noticed that lining the bloody, pulsing walls were the same wall monsters he and Jessica faced in the lounge. Unlike the last time, these were still.

The double doors opened and revealed the Assembly Hall to Jacob, the state of the room similar to what Jacob saw when he snuck in when Jessica was captured. He heard the same chanting as before coming from the robed figures standing at the far end of the Hall, each one waiting for him. When Pyramid Head got to the stage, he lifted up the cage and set it on the stand one of the figures brought forth. Dangling upside down, he heard Alexander give the same invocation as before. He then stepped in front of Jacob and knelt down.

"This is it, Jacob. After waiting for so long, you have finally been allowed to accept grace."

"By killing me or stealing my soul? That doesn't sound quite right to me."

"Oh, Jacob!" Jacob laughed, the other figures laughed lightly. "We do not kill you nor do we steal your soul. Your life and soul belong only to the one who gave you both of Her own free will."

"How does that pike fit into this, then? Sure looks like a killing device to me."

Alexander gripped the pike handed to him at that moment by another figure. "This thing is not meant to kill, only to help put you in a state of near death. With the power of our chants, the pike kills away your physical body but your mind is kept alive. It is there you will see things far worse than you've seen here. You will continue to see terrible things, things of your own making, things that have been influenced by the true evil of this terrible, terrible world. The only way out is to accept God and accept Her grace. You will stay trapped in your mind until you do so. My suggestion to you is to submit quickly. I've heard that this is a most terrible experience, my son. Although it's necessary, it is terrible, my son."

Jacob stared at Alexander. "I'll beat this. You won't have me so easily, Alexander."

Alexander looked at him sadly. "We'll see, my son." The older man got up and handed the pike to Pyramid Head, who quickly made his way behind Jacob's hanging body. He felt his pulse race as the chanting started up again and grew louder. He couldn't be sure, but he felt as if he could here the familiar siren wailing off in the distance. He made fists with his bound hands and prepared for the blow that would soon come. Suddenly, Jacob felt an incredibly sharp pain at his back and felt the sharp metal tear through his body. He choked as blood filled his mouth, his breathing hard and laborious as the sharp tip pierced through his lungs. The blood fell from his mouth and splashed over his face and dangling hair. With one final and painful thrust, Jacob convulsed as he heard the sickening sound of the steel pike ripping through the front of his rib cage. The chanting filled his ears as his vision began to fade, he could hear the low volume of the sirens as the area around him grew dim. Before everything blacked out, he heard Alexander's voice, "Accept quickly, my son, you're entering a Hell of your own making."

Jacob found himself in the Hope House lobby. Everything appeared normal, the walls and floors were clean, and all objects were in their place. He quickly looked around the room and tried to figure out what would happen. He felt his chest and discovered that no wound was present. _I have to beat this_, Jacob thought,_ I can't let Alexander continue with this madness. I've got to be careful_. He started to make his way towards the exit when a bell sounded followed by the sounds of chattering. He walked towards the central staircase and waited to see other students come down. He was taken by surprise when he saw that the students were not how they remembered them. Each student, both boy and girl, wore their appropriate uniforms, but their bodies were those of the creatures with the straight jacket-type skin. Their movements were erratic and jerky. He watched as a group of student monsters walked past, their heads shaking violently. Jacob took several steps backwards and bumped into a few Sisters who had taken the form of the Sister creatures, their maws snapping at Jacob for his intrusion.

He ran up the staircase, dodging the creatures. With each step he took everything looked as if it was changing before his eyes. The pristine architecture was slowly replaced by the same muscle constructed walls that oozed the dark red fluid. Even the stairs took on that terrible form, his footsteps making squelching noises, thick, dark blood clinging to his shoes. His hands slipped from the railing as it was replaced by the skin of the student creatures, that plastic looking, slimy feeling skin. Jacob made his way up the stairs and into one of the central hallways that held various classrooms. The walls twitched and moved as if alive when Jacob walked passed them. He reached for a door and threw it open, seeing the bizarre sight of a classroom full of student creatures watching the Pyramid Head monster stand in front of the desk. All heads turned in his direction, some vibrating and shaking violently. Jacob walked backwards from the classroom and ran down the hall, trying hard not to slip from the blood covering the ground.

When he turned a corner, Jacob saw one of the Sister creatures feeding off the body of a student creature. It appeared to be having some difficulty, as it snapped at the skin and tried to pull it away, the substance looked too much for the creature to easily rip open. The creature was sitting in an awkward manner. Since it shared the form of a human, the body was bent backwards, the Sister's arms acting as a second set of legs . The terrible maw gripped the tight skin in its mouth and violently thrust upward. There was a gruesome ripping sound as the creature finally managed to rip open the body of the smaller monster. Jacob felt the need to retch as he heard the sharp teeth tear apart the innards of the student creature. Jacob spun on his heels and backtracked towards the central stair, vomiting. When he passed the classroom full of monsters, he kept running towards the end of the hall.

Jacob found another door and opened it, hoping to find some way out of the hall. Instead, he found himself in Pyramid Head's room. At the far end of the hall, he saw the monster busying himself with putting a struggling body into the cage. There was a sickening pounding noise coming from the metal prison. When the door behind Jacob shut loudly, Pyramid Head turned away from his work to look at the intruder. Jacob's eyes widened as much as possible when he saw what was going on. Pyramid was hammering the bonds onto the struggling figure who was an older woman with long hair. The woman's head peered over the side of the metal cage. The young man felt his knees weaken at the sight of his mother.

The woman screamed, "Jacob!! Run away!" Pyramid Head turned back towards Jacob's mother and slammed the back of his fist against her face. She still continued to shout at Jacob during these attacks. Jacob fumbled for the doorknob and quickly exited the room. Running for the door across the hall, he threw it open and saw another Pyramid Head take a steel pike and run in through another figure that was hung in the cage. When Jacob tried to look at the victim, he was again met with shock at the sight of his father, blood pouring down his once warm face. Jacob ran out of the room and towards the staircase, the sight of his mother and father being killed by Pyramid Head getting to be too much for him. He ran up to the third floor and headed to his room in the dorms. He ran passed several student creatures that paid him no mind. While he was running, his left foot can in contact with a patch of fresh blood, causing him to slide. As he skidded along the side, he found himself heading towards a Sister creature, it's jaws snapping open and close, its tongue lashing in the air as if getting ready for its next meal. Jacob shielded his eyes and screamed.

Jacob awoke with a frantic start, his breathing hard and fast, droplets of sweat covering his brow. He found himself in the back of a car seat, the windows next to him splattered with raindrops, a soft whooshing sound coming from the tires rolling on the wet asphalt. He looked in front of him and saw an older man and woman sitting quietly. The woman sitting in the passenger seat turned her head to face him.

"Jacob, honey, are you okay?" his mother asked, her voice high and sweet.

_A dream! It was all a dream?_ "I'm okay, mom. I just had a bad dream. A really bad one."

Jacob's father spoke up, his eyes looking at his through the rear view mirror. "You all right back there, kiddo?"

"Yeah, dad. I think I'm just fine," Jacob said with a small smile. He was happy to be out of that terrible dream. He must have eaten something that most certainly didn't agree with him. He looked out the driver's side window and watched as the car zoomed quietly along the dark highway. The yellow streetlights created shadows all over the interior of the car as they passed one after the other. Jacob leaned his head on the headrest of the back seat. He was happy to be free of the nightmare, yet something seemed strange. He looked at himself through the review mirror and found that he was the same age as he was in the nightmare. _But_, Jacob thought, _my parents are dead. How can—_

"LOOK OUT!" Jacob's mother screamed to her husband at the top of her lungs. Jacob looked out the window and saw a pair of bright headlights coming right for them.

"Dad!" Jacob screamed, figuring everything out. "Get out of the way! The car will kill both of you!"

Jacob's father struggled at the wheel. For some reason, the steering wheel was stuck in its place and couldn't be moved. Jacob took one last look at his parents and laid his body down onto the back seat of the car. The loud screeching of brakes gave way to the terrible sound of the oncoming car smashing into the front of his parent's car.

"You awake, son?"

Jacob's eyes slowly fluttered open, a blurry figure slowly coming into view.

"Take it easy son, you've had a rough time."

When his vision restored, Jacob saw a doctor was leaning over him. He was taking down notes on his clipboard as he examined him.

"Where are my parents?"

"Son, you need to relax. There's been an accident."

Jacob remembered this from before, but never got a straight answer out of these doctors. In anger, he lifted a nearby water glass and threw it in the direction of the doctor who had barely gotten out of the way. "Now see here, son!" the doctor shouted as Jacob got out of his bed. He limped his way out of the room, pushing the doctors and nurses away from him before yelling at them to say which room his parents were in. When the doctor gave in, Jacob headed towards the room and tried to ready himself for the obvious shock. While he drew closer to the room, he heard a cold voice.

"...victims both were dead on impact. First victim is male, age 50. Victim's rib cage was smashed by the steering wheel, bone shards stabbing his heart and piercing both lungs. Never seen anything this bad before. Both legs crushed, with several layers of skin torn away. Second victim, female age 40. Severe damage to skull, half of which was caved in and torn the brain in half. Face horribly mutilated. Leg damage similar to that of male victim. My guess? The car that came at them was going a ridiculously fast speed, collided headfirst with the victim's car, causing the entire front of the car to fold into the laps of the driver and passenger, which would explain damage to lower body. Explanation for other injuries? It's possible that the impact caused the steering wheel to smash against victim one's chest and victim two's head slammed against the dashboard due to the force of the impact."

The doctor speaking into a recording device stopped when he turned and saw Jacob standing at the open door. He quickly covered the area with a plastic screen and approached the young man.

"You shouldn't be here lad."

"Those are...were my parents," Jacob said, tears forming in his eyes. Of all the things to see repeated in one's life, why did it have to be something as terrible as this?

"Son, I'm very sorry. You should head back to your room and—"

"What happened. I need to know right now."

The doctor sighed and grimaced, his arms crossed over his chest. "It was a drunk driver. He was driving his car too fast down the wet road, lost control and slammed his car into your parents' vehicle."

Jacob stared into the area which held his parent's mutilated bodies. _One man did this. One person did something so stupid and killed my parents. They didn't deserve this. They did nothing wrong. Why were they taken? It isn't fair. One man, in a moment of weakness, got behind a wheel drunk and killed them._

"Now you see things the way we do, my son." Alexander's voice came from behind Jacob. He turned around and saw the older man walking up behind him. "See how evil this world is? Look at the damage done." Alexander walked over to the covered area that was now bathed in a single spotlight.

Tears fell from Jacob's eyes as he was forced to relive the death of his parents. The world around him suddenly turned ugly, the walls oozing dark fluid, that same muscle finish reappearing. He tried to pull himself together, trying to bring himself to realize the reason behind all of this. _They are forcing you to bend, but you can't! Don't give in to this! Look what happened to Jessica, she is lost to you. You'll end up exactly like her if you don't snap out of this!_

Alexander spoke to Jacob, resting his arms behind his back. "Jacob, you've seen first hand how terrible the real world is and what it is capable of taking away from you. We've all lost something from the weakness of man in this world. The only thing for you to do now is to accept God, take firm hold of Her grace, accept Her and join us in our cause."

Jacob let a long, drawn out sigh, facing the older man with cold, hard eyes. "You're going to have to do better than that, Alexander."

The Father gave him a hard look. "Fine, my son," he said before snapping his fingers. The dirty hospital room disappeared, revealing the Assembly Hall. The room was full of a dark red light, the wooden seats along the walls filled with student creatures. Jacob stood towards the two large wooden doors, facing the raised stage at the opposite end which was occupied by the same robed figures standing in a semi circle around two hospital gurneys. Jacob couldn't see what was on the beds because his view was blocked by Alexander and two robed figures behind him.

"Jacob Swanson," Alexander's voice boomed. "We've tried to make you see the truth nicely, but we have been incapable of turning you."

"Bet you're real disappointed," Jacob said with a smirk.

"It appears that we will have to try a harsher method. You will be turned, Jacob. You will accept God!" At that point, a growling sound came from behind Alexander. He saw two bodies appear on the hospital gurneys, their deformed shapes writhing and struggling to get up. After a long period of time, both creatures got off the gurneys and stood, with difficulty on their horribly disfigured legs. Whatever skin was left clinging to charred bone was rotted, their upper bodies showing terrible damage. The monster on the left of Alexander had its chest completely caved in, the stomach area looked like the skin had been torn away, exposing a sickening black area. The head of the monsters was bloodied and misshapen. The monster on Alexander's right side was a bit similar from the other monster in terms of its legs, but the head of the creature looked as if one half was smashed in, creating an ugly gap on the head. The monster's long, dark hair clung to the bloody and grimy skin. He recognized these injuries from moments before in the doctor's room. These monsters were his parents. Jacob stood watching these horrible depictions of his dead parents, his knees feeling weak, his stomach wanting to badly empty itself. Jacob tried to show courage, but one look at the horrible monsters forced his vision to turn away.

Alexander spoke again, his voice rising over the hideous growling of the monsters behind him. "Once more, Jacob. Accept Her! Accept Her grace! I will not ask again!" The figures standing behind Alexander spoke up. "Accept, Jacob. It's the only way for you now." After they said the phrase in unison, the removed their hoods. Standing in front of Alexander side by side was Will and Jessica. Jacob wanted to shout out for their help but knew they could do nothing. They were part of the Order now, the cult had taken their souls and minds away for their own selfish purposes. Jacob called out to all in the room, "I will not turn! I renounce any type of grace!" He saw Alexander shake his head. Will and Jessica took positions within the semi circle of robed figures. The older Father walked away from the center of the stage, speaking with the creatures. He looked at them and pointed to Jacob then took a place next to Jessica. The two monsters rushed for Jacob.

Jacob had no idea what to do. He stood in the hall, waiting as the two monstrous remnants of his parents charged for him. He felt like crying, to fall on his knees and cry for his losses. Before he could do anything, the monsters extended their long, ugly and deformed arms and took tight hold of each of Jacob's limbs and began to pull. Jacob screamed as he watched the monster tug at his arms and legs. He could feel his limbs being stretched from his body, feeling the pain as his muscles stretched as tight as they could. He tried shouting out for his mother, father and Jessica, but nothing happened. He gritted his teeth as the pain in his limbs grew. Within moments the monster that resembled his mother had successfully pulled out Jacob's right arm from the socket. The shock of seeing his arm free from his body caused him to let out a primal, blood curling scream. Over his screams, he could hear the tearing of flesh and muscle coming from his left leg, watching as the monster of his father pulled out his leg. Jacob screamed louder and louder, the pain filling every part of his brain. He watched as the monsters hungrily desired to pull away all of his limbs before tearing the rest of him apart. His vision grew red and blurry, stars circled around him, the increasing amount of blood loss from his wounds made him feel weak. Just the sight of his torture was too much for his mind to comprehend. His screaming turned louder as he felt his other arm rip free. He felt his body convulse and weaken as the monsters continued their horrific attack. Jacob stared up at the dark ceiling, his vision growing dark. Suddenly, Jacob saw a small bright light high up into the air. The pure white light grew and shone down brightly onto his face. The light grew so bright, that Jacob was forced to close his eyes.

It was a pleasant September morning as the sun shone brilliantly through the large white clouds. Birds chirped their sweet songs in the large trees surrounding Hope House, getting ready to carry on with their own tasks. One of the birds flew from a tree branch and took flight around the large three storied building. It zoomed passed Sisters and chirped a short song to them, watching as the women smiled at the sweet little creature. The bird began its flight around the orphanage, occasionally stopping to rest its tiny wings. When it was through with its break, the bird flew back up into the air and continued with its simple flight. When it swooped around the far side of the building, the tiny bird spotted an open window. Letting its curiosity getting the better of him, the bird swooped down and landed on the open windowsill. It hoped through the window opening and peered inside the room, watching as a tall figure put on a black shirt. He stared intently at this giant being, having seen them before around the tree it perched in. He looked at the figure as it turned around and waved at him. The bird didn't know what to make of this gesture so it chirped several times before flying away.

Jacob stuck his head out and followed the path of the bird as long as he could. When the bird was gone from his view, he looked up at the sky, watching the clouds glide past the sun, creating large, dark shadows. He breathed in the cool, clean air and sighed. _What a beautiful, beautiful day, _he said to himself. He blissfully looked at his wall clock and nearly panicked. It was only five minutes before the Opening Prayer! He hurriedly threw on the rest of his school uniform and rushed out of the room. He made his way to the central staircase and ran down the stairs. He passed several Sisters and apologized for his rudeness, that he couldn't stand to be late for the Prayer. Fortunately, all the Sisters he ran into just smiled and sent him on his way. When he reached the double doors of the Assembly Hall, he took a moment to breath and fix himself. He then rushed into the hall and went to the closest seat he could find. The Hall was noisy, other Hope House students just sat and conversed among themselves. Jacob turned to his right and said hello to the girl next to him.

"Peace be with you on this lovely morning, sister Jessica."

"Peace be with you, brother Jacob."

They talked quietly before the loud bell rang, signaling the commencement of the Opening Prayer. He stopped talking as he watch Father Alexander casually walked down the hall, making his way to the far end of the hallway. He waved, smiled and shook hands with students he passed by. Jacob held nothing but admiration for the wisdom the man carried with him. Alexander took his place at the podium and scanned the eager looking students.

"Good morning, my sons and daughters."

"Good morning, Father," the students said in unison.

"Let us give thanks to God for this lovely day."

Jacob clasped his hands together and bowed his head in fervent prayer.

"Now before we begin today's announcements, I understand one of our students would like to share a prayer to all of us. Jacob Swanson? Will you come up please?"

Jacob practically threw himself out of his seat. He had been excited for this day, practice his prayer over and over for the past week. He looked upon the eager collective of students, smiling and waving at familiar faces. Jacob stood before Alexander and went to his knees. Alexander smiled and spoke, "Arise, my son. Thank you for your generous gift of prayer."

Jacob swelled at these words, feeling happy and full of pride. Immediately he chided himself for this sin of pride and promised himself to do some form of penance. He took the position occupied by Alexander, placing his notes on the podium. He gave a slight nod to the Fathers and Sisters behind him before addressing the crowd of students. Jacob then recited his prayer, his voice filling every inch of the Hall. Each recited word filled Jacob's heart with pride, his love for his God and Her unlimited grace growing more and more above all earthly things. His heart swelled, his pale gray eyes sparkled in the light of the room. He would sneak peeks at Alexander and found the man smiling happily and encouragingly at him. Jacob had never been so happy in his life. He owed everything he had in his life to Father Alexander.

The End


End file.
